tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71381375172242749452023-11-16T04:35:46.076-08:00Books & BriarsBlogging about Writing (Mon), Books (Tues/Sat), and Life (Fri)!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-36605813190580815312017-03-06T08:00:00.000-08:002017-03-06T08:00:16.999-08:00Experimenting with Writing Style - Screenwriting??So I’ve written poetry and fiction forever. You’ve seen some of my work in the past weeks. That kind of work is right in my wheelhouse.<br />
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Even creative non-fiction is comfortable for me and I’ve always enjoyed a good research project.<br />
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But in college I had the opportunity to take a film focused writing class. Mostly we were studying films and how to write about them, more like reviews with a deeper technical knowledge of the art.<br />
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But as a final project we were given the opportunity to write either a straight up film critique, or to incorporate some screenwriting into the project. When my teachers provided a creative option – that is always where I went, so I wrote my first screenplay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAprfv-eAReBC-7zPABm8UtrCwzMPZ_aBheHcavZcN-upbuloaHVIrGxkZxCnk_siouopuGr_6z7ed3lzaPoF6R8EGuaESn2Wosywp47O6EfO2MCy9MYD_-FaOySefUkaWfsAuYYsZa1Bw/s1600/Part+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAprfv-eAReBC-7zPABm8UtrCwzMPZ_aBheHcavZcN-upbuloaHVIrGxkZxCnk_siouopuGr_6z7ed3lzaPoF6R8EGuaESn2Wosywp47O6EfO2MCy9MYD_-FaOySefUkaWfsAuYYsZa1Bw/s320/Part+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It’s probably crap, it was a total experiment with a new style of writing where I didn’t really know much of the rules. But damn it was fun!<br />
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Unlike in prose fiction, there is no need to fill in description and such in a screenplay. It will be provided by the camera and the actors and so forth.<br />
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<b>I loved that, because for the longest time I loathed description. </b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I blame Nathaniel Hawthorn and The Scarlet Letter for killing me with several pages of description of a rose bush or however that book starts.)</span></i></div>
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I just had to write things like [EXT. NIGHT] or [CHARACTER’S BEDROOM] and all that description was done.<br />
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I also found that telling a story almost entirely in dialogue with minimal direction suits me for at least a draft.<br />
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It is so easy for me to write several pages of description in a first draft because I want every detail that is in my head to be clear to the reader. <i>No one wants to read that, least of all me.</i><br />
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Instead, starting from a skeleton of dialogue and adding on makes me focus on what really matters.<br />
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Experimenting with screenplay also taught me a lot about <b>how many people can be involved in telling a story.</b><br />
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Writing was always a personal endeavor for me, something I would do on my own and where I had full control of the story.<br />
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Screenplay writing implies the involvement of multiple people, even though the initial story can be entirely mine.<br />
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Actors, directors, producers, musical directors, set designers, costume designers, production managers, post-production editors, and so many more people can have a hand in how the public would eventually see the final result.<br />
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I actually ended up researching how much control a screen writer would have, and made decisions to leave out details or insert more character notes based on that.<br />
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Overall I loved experimenting with screenwriting! It broadened my perspective on writing as a craft and introduced me to some things I had not realized about my writing habits.<br />
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How else can you experiment with your writing? Exploring a new genre is one thing I did, what have you done?<br />
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Let me know down below, and next week I’ll be writing about my overall opinions of writing as a degree in higher education.<br />
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Look forward to it!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-20901503021505582702017-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:002017-03-01T08:00:21.284-08:00T5W: Fictional Jobs You'd Want to HaveFor this week's Top 5 Wednesday (more infor on the GoodReads page) the subject is what fictional jobs you would want to have.<br />
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I had a lot of trouble coming up with this list because most of my dream jobs are ... from Harry Potter.<br />
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Just give me magic and I'm a happy girl!</div>
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But anyway, I diversified a bit and here we go!</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">1 - <b>Charms Teacher at Hogwarts. </b></span><br />
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So I just really love working with kids. I'm a teacher now (first day of the new school year in Korea is Thursday!) and I have so much fun working with my kids. </div>
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Charms is my dream class to take at Hogwarts because it seems the most fun, so I would like to teach that one!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2 - <b>Scientist at Global Dynamics</b></span></div>
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Have you ever seen Eureka? It's an older SyFy show, where the crazy genieuses of the world make super crazy inventions and explore things like space and the 4th dimension.</div>
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It is just super interesting and I want to try my hand at the crazy making science that always turns on its head.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3 - <b>Tour Guide at Jurrasic Park/World</b></span></div>
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Does it all enevitably got to shit? Oh yes. But dinosaurs, people! Dinosaurs!! Yeah, I would probably die. Whatever. Dinosaurs.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4 - <b>Dragon Keeper in Romania</b></span><br />
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Another form Harry Potter! Though this is basically number 3 with less chance of death because magic.<br />
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Also - DRAGONS!! instead of dinosaurs.<br />
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Cool.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5 - <b>Watcher/Witch/Vampire Slayer/ Scoobie</b></span><br />
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Put in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That is all.<br />
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Magic. Mayhem. Really old books. This one has it all!<br />
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So there are my 5 Fictional Jobs. Most are from TV and Movies. Jurrasic Park and Harry Potter are crossovers as I've read the books and love the films, so there!</div>
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Sorry for the lack of pics in this post and the last... I am still settling into my new apartment in Korea and my internet is super slow. Right now I'm working on getting my classroom in order more than my blog. I'll get to it this weekend.<br />
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Fingers-crossed!<br />
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Let me know about what fictional jobs you want, because this list was super hard for me to come up with!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-15634714911992027622017-02-27T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-27T08:00:01.393-08:00Writing Fiction: How to incorporate workshop feedbackPart 2 of my workshop examples has come! Last week I showed you how I revised a poem based on a few notes from my peers. Today I am going to do the same with an example of my fiction writing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoq50AQcXLtPNPhePQVhcQE-DU_9TH-3epefSsnHdDxIG4bMFNFNpsfDolQpDTPlxK4Ar_8hrtQI7JXBo-Fjj3rLl0Tv_9ZRP2jEx_oKI3m5rY_iM21dR18gZX9sQyDPAP6Crum6hKQlXJ/s1600/Part+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoq50AQcXLtPNPhePQVhcQE-DU_9TH-3epefSsnHdDxIG4bMFNFNpsfDolQpDTPlxK4Ar_8hrtQI7JXBo-Fjj3rLl0Tv_9ZRP2jEx_oKI3m5rY_iM21dR18gZX9sQyDPAP6Crum6hKQlXJ/s320/Part+6.jpg" title="Writing Fiction: Incorporating Feedback Example" width="320" /></a></div>
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For this week’s post, I debated the merits of including the full text of my fiction piece.<br />
Honestly, just the <b>first draft is 14 pages</b>. The <b>third draft is 30 pages</b> and <b>the completed project was about 26 pages.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is no room for a full copy of that work on here.</span></div>
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Ultimately, I’ve chosen to give the highlights of my story here and show what feedback I got and how I chose to respond to it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Now, some context:</u></span> for my final year in Undergrad, I wrote a Capstone/Thesis on authorship in fan fiction. For this project I worked closely with my mentor and few trusted peers to develop two short stories – one an original work of fiction, the other fan fiction for the TV show <i>Angel the Series</i> created by Joss Whedon.<br />
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The piece I’m discussing today is the fan fiction.</div>
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To start, I wanted two stories with the same premise. Based on my reading habits, I chose to explore <u><b>how families deal with the knowledge that the world will end in about 24 hours. And there is nothing they can do to stop it.</b></u><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My first draft </span></b>of this story, titled <i>Helpless End</i>, was <b>just 2 scenes</b> – the prophecy of the end of the world, and the Angel Investigations team/family deciding to go for ice cream before the end comes.<br />
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That was it.</div>
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My mentor took this and asked for me to expand on the in between moments. How did they try to fight the inevitable? Where did they go in the time between? Were they all together? Did they separate? What was so important to each member of the family that they decided to spend their last hours pursuing it?<br />
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Basically, my first draft was a summary of the important events – discovering the end of the world, a few characters discussing it, sharing the news, and coming to terms with it.<br />
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Each subsequent draft added some details.</div>
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Angel and Cordelia spent a lot of time in the sewer, as vampires do, fighting demons. Business as usual.<br />
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Wesley, Gunn team up to take Fred, the girl they are both interested in, out to the beach and the pier and just have fun, instead of allowing their competitive history to get between them. They eat crap and waste money on rigged games. They have fun.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once the basic structure of the story is there, I give it over to my peers for notes and inspiration about big revisions.</span></div>
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Some of the notes I received from them:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Why is Angel so accepting? He should have more angst if you want him to be in character to the show.</li>
<li>You left Angel and Cordelia at a strange spot, where are they heading after?</li>
<li>On page 29 you just gloss over a lot of time. You said, </li>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“The initial grief passed for Fred and Gunn as it had for the others. Acceptance comes quickly when helplessness is the only other option.</i><i>“I want ice cream,” Fred admitted, hours later as the clock approached midnight.”</i></blockquote>
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<li>What happened in those hours? How did Fred and Gunn really react – don’t they have families as well? Did they not call their families?</li>
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One peer literally said, <u>“I don’t believe it. They get warning of the end of the world and just… go with it? WTH?”</u><br />
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Each of these responses was perfectly valid and useful to me, even though I really hated to hear that last comment. She was basically saying she just plain didn’t like the premise and therefore didn’t like the story.<br />
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But I took it as a challenge.</div>
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How can I make this more believable?</div>
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Really, I think I took the peer comments to heart more than the mentor comments.<br />
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I was more invested in improving what my peers saw as flaws, which is why I’m glad I decided to have them read it. <i>(It wasn’t a required workshop, more like a writing group of others also working on the Thesis.)</i><br />
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I took some time and reread the story based on their comments, making my own comments in the margins to see what they saw.<br />
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I found that I agreed with a lot of them. I did not want to add Angel-angst because it didn’t fit well with the purpose of the story.<br />
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But Angel the character is very angsty, so I added a bit more of that from him, sprinkled throughout the story rather than all at the front.<br />
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A bit of restructuring took care of the sudden loss of Angel and Cordelia.<br />
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And based on how others noted they would react to the news of an apocalypse, I upped the emotional gravity in everyone in the story to create something that read as more realistic.<br />
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I didn’t have to take the advice of everyone who gave me notes (and I didn’t, really) but I felt that, as part of my thesis, adjusting to the expectations of the readers and maintaining the established characterization from the TV show, was a very important aspect of the whole project.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The most important part</u></span> of revising based on peer comments in fiction, in my experience, is deciding what you want to do with your story. I wanted to convey an idea to an audience, therefore I took a lot of audience feedback into account.<br />
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The other half of this project, the original piece I wrote, was a lot more about my own vision for a world and characters. I changed a lot less from that first draft after receiving peer feedback.<br />
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In that story, I had one person suggest I try writing from another character’s perspective.</div>
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While usually I would at least experiment with that idea, that wasn’t the purpose of the story and I didn’t bother. I knew what story I wanted to tell, and that wasn’t it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fiction workshops are generally a lot harder than poetry workshops. </span>They take more time to read and respond to, incorporating feedback takes a lot of commitment.<br />
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And writing fiction takes time itself – sometimes you feel horrible when a peer makes a negative comment or overlooks something you found amazing when you wrote it.<br />
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But as most writers have heard before, <i>sometimes you have to kill your darlings.</i></span></b></u></div>
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Cut out the pieces you really love about a work. Accept that others don’t read the story as you intended. Most of all, don’t compromise on your writing for the sake of another.<br />
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Yes, I think you should cut out the parts you love if they do not add to the overall story.</div>
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But don’t revise to please someone else. Accept the revision notes if you think they improve your writing. Not because you think another will like it if you change it.<br />
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There’s my notes from a fiction workshop. Have you ever been in one? Working in a writing group? </div>
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How do you incorporate other’s notes into your fiction (or nonfiction, or poetry, or anything)?</div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-24706286975772306402017-02-25T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-25T08:00:33.948-08:00Bookish Musings: Detective NovelsAlright! Today is a bit different than I expected because I had a whole post planned on my laptop.... and then I went on a trip and left my laptop at home without posting it.<br />
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Oops...<br />
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So today, I've decided to share some Bookish Musings and I'm curious about your input on -<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Detective Novels</u></span></div>
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In the last few weeks I've read 2 dedicated P.I. novels, and before that I had read 0.</div>
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What I've found in these books (<i>Where Angels Fear to Tread </i>by Thomas Sniegoski & <i>School Days </i>by Robert B. Parker) is that ... detectives bore me.</div>
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This may not be a popular opinion, I don't know. But the serialization that seems to be part and parcel with a detective novel means it's hard to connect with a character or the world in a single book.</div>
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Also, the books I read weren't the first in either series. Maybe that was a failure on my part.</div>
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I had hoped to get at least a bit of backstory but it seemed to get swept under the rug instead.<br />
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This is really what bugged me - the individual case seemed to wither take up a whole scene or be entirely missing.<br />
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There was not a great deal of weaving stories.<br />
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Instead the books were segmented and rather one-dimensional.<br />
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Does anyone else see this in PI/Detective novels? Or is it just me?<br />
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I just couldn't really get into the story. They both seemed like a single episode of a series, and<i> School Days</i> felt more like filler than an integral story.<br />
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Thoughts? Opinions? Am I totally wrong? Let me know!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-77034178967475126302017-02-24T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-24T08:00:12.719-08:00Homesickness: 4 Tips for DealingMoving away from home can be hard, especially for people like me who are super close with family.<br />
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I am a true to heart Momma’s girl, I’ve only grown closer with my brother as we’ve gotten older, and I recently reconnected with my sister and niece.<br />
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As the time for me to leave home and move to South Korea grew closer, I started feeling the emotional impact of moving and homesickness started setting in before I had even left home.<br />
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But there are a few things I’ve learned from the many break away points I’ve had with my home in pursuit of other life goals. Here’s how I have learned to cope with homesickness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrWIk8h3UDnXpcPtEQnMcYmmi5TuP9MP5EFo9UukehKWyTMCYroSbUBOUxtC3x48XtZUhrft4IBNgsdOwDebpBkQX_ACPlkNAAwkAeAd1iJJw-dAh7AxwpBRtEWWHyB7iYwLEbD9mtTTg/s1600/Homesickness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrWIk8h3UDnXpcPtEQnMcYmmi5TuP9MP5EFo9UukehKWyTMCYroSbUBOUxtC3x48XtZUhrft4IBNgsdOwDebpBkQX_ACPlkNAAwkAeAd1iJJw-dAh7AxwpBRtEWWHyB7iYwLEbD9mtTTg/s320/Homesickness.jpg" title="4 Tips for Dealing with Homesickness" width="320" /></a></div>
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I first left home <b>at 18 </b>to move away to college. Then after <b>4 years of back and forth</b>, mostly at school, I lived at home for <b>8 months</b> before moving to Korea. After <b>a year </b>in SoKo, I moved home for <b>a year</b> and here I am moving away again.<br />
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When I left home for the first time, <span style="font-size: large;">I was a total mess. </span>I couldn’t sleep and I spent about the first month wondering why I had to leave and if it was possible to just go home again.<br />
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But I made it, I loved it, I eventually felt at home.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What really helps me to deal is:</span></div>
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<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Keeping busy. </span></u></b>Seriously, I will pack the first week to the first month full of events and activities. College was easy because there were a ton of orientation activities, I have to work a lot harder now. I have training during the week, and the awkwardness of living with my boss and her family, but I’m making a ton of plans to keep my weekends full so that there is just no time to think too hard. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Making the bed your bed.</u></span></b> It sounds silly, but I love to take a pillowcase or a stuffed animal or something that I keep in my bed to make falling asleep easier. I have a hard time sleeping in places that are not my own bed, but having something that smells and/or feels like home when I go to bed helps me to shift my mindset into accepting this new place as my new home. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Keeping habits. </span></u></b>If you have a good, healthy habit that you started at home, try to keep up with it. I have yogurt or cereal for breakfast frequently, and I definitely kept that up even after moving to Korea because it’s a taste of home. Also, keeping up with exercise like running or joining a gym is important because it keeps up physical and mental health. Keeping your body busy with familiar habits can help you adjust to an otherwise foreign environment. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Socialize. </span></u></b>Do not allow yourself to be that person that goes back to their room everyday and never goes out and talks to people. Meeting new people can be hard, but by putting yourself out there you can create a support group that helps you when those waves of homesickness come on once the initial settlement period has passed.</li>
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And that brings me to my final note – homesickness can be hardest when you first arrive to a new place. But it doesn’t just go away after a month or so and you never feel it again. I lived at my university for the majority of 4 years, just a few short visits home in the summer.<br />
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All that time, I would still get waves of homesickness for my family. Even though, when I was with my family, I would get homesick for school and the friends I had there.<br />
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Being homesick is just a sign that you have something special waiting somewhere else. Since I turned 18 I’ve learned to really embrace the feeling. I know it’s because I have a place I can be really comfortable in.<br />
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Do you get homesick? How do you deal with it?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-5388552236885825422017-02-22T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-22T08:00:03.885-08:00T5W: Books to Battle Reading Slump <div style="text-align: center;">
Sometimes, reading is hard. You want to read, but the motivation is lacking and you end up not reading anything.</div>
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This is a reading slump. Slumps are hard to overcome because you want to read, but just <i>aren't</i> and it feels like a vicious cycle. </div>
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But this week on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday" target="_blank">Top 5 Wednesday</a>, we are looking at books that can help overcome a reading slump!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF0o5Zf0LmRdXYqGkskbgsdF22UKMyln02nMAjMO8Ig-XN6_GWopbpMQIr4sJrodxWIByc0zLwvEBVWVNRScKSsH48nZ5pospOKonwqOTndpnPsDKDvYp5pFuojdtOp6GHv-YWuhQCZIy/s1600/T5W+Feb+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF0o5Zf0LmRdXYqGkskbgsdF22UKMyln02nMAjMO8Ig-XN6_GWopbpMQIr4sJrodxWIByc0zLwvEBVWVNRScKSsH48nZ5pospOKonwqOTndpnPsDKDvYp5pFuojdtOp6GHv-YWuhQCZIy/s320/T5W+Feb+22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In no particular order:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 1!</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">An old favorite:</span></u></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
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One way to get out of a slump is to go for a book that you already know you love. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Grabbing a book that gives you all the happy feels and nostalgia can reignite the passion for reading and create new interest in reading more!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For me, an old favorite that helps me un-slump myself is:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Harry Potter Series</i> by JK Rowling</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 2!</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">A new suspenseful mystery:</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Reading a suspense story is a great way to read more as well. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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If it's well done, just reading a few pages can introduce mysteries and secrets you <i>want</i> to know the end of. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So you read more trying to find the answers! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Much win.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My choice of suspense:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Rhetoric of Death</i> by Judith Rock</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440501776l/8494444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440501776l/8494444.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 3!</u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">A sequel:</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you want to read, but can't find the passion, pick up that sequel you never got to! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You already know the characters and the world, but new adventures can make you remember why you kept that book around. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And remember the other interesting world to explore on your TBR.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My choice:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Magic Steps</i> by Tamora Pierce</div>
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(not a sequel in itself, but the first book in a second quartet after <i>Circle of Magic</i>)</div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 4!</u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">A super simple read:</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Get back into the reading game easy by picking up a book that is quick, and doesn't require much brain power.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This can be a book for a younger audience, or something that you know isn't going to be hard to understand.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For me, I would read:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Girl Online </i>by Zoe Sugg</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410112710l/22510983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410112710l/22510983.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 5!</u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">A book to movie adaptation, </span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">when you've seen the movie but never read the book:</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're like me, a lot of reading slumps are aided by Netflix.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I watch a lot of movies and TV when otherwise I would be reading.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So take advantage! Find a movie based on a book you <i>haven't</i> read yet and enjoy!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Then pick up the book and compare. You can get a lot of the story from the film, but the book is so much richer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For me, one of my favorite movies is <i>Rise of the Guardians</i> which is based on the series, <i>Guardians of Childhood</i> by William Joyce.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Check out the first book in the series:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King</i> by William Joyce</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355082194l/10886703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355082194l/10886703.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
That's my suggestions for getting out of a reading slump. Now to take some of my own advice...<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thoughts? Comments?</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Check out the T5W group on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> as well!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-19920093767929188322017-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-20T08:00:04.252-08:00Example of Poetry: How to incorporate workshop feedbackThe past few weeks I’ve talked a lot about workshops and the value of peer review in revising a draft of writing. This week I want to show you how I take advice from peer reviewers and edit a poem I wrote for a class.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbExSpbcnV-mHf1KbGif9CIJMe-0spSNZn_q0IkoygJDdjil8mYzKjgSYSt0sx9aKqrzbQx9ltgxmXmHpy109qOWcnPtEGIJBmT442lDADUgxfnG5kFQRqSN4SGQp4ndRyCYoaLfAV0ZT/s1600/Part+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbExSpbcnV-mHf1KbGif9CIJMe-0spSNZn_q0IkoygJDdjil8mYzKjgSYSt0sx9aKqrzbQx9ltgxmXmHpy109qOWcnPtEGIJBmT442lDADUgxfnG5kFQRqSN4SGQp4ndRyCYoaLfAV0ZT/s320/Part+5.jpg" title="Writing Poetry: Incorporating Feedback" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
I wrote a draft of a poem for the imagery unit of the course, following the prompt to make a title using the form “The (Image) of (Abstration)”. Drawing from a place I loved as a kid, I called my poem “The Park of Imagination” and wrote about this play park I frequently went to when I was 6/7 years old or so.<br />
<br />
For the sake of brevity, I’m just going to go over the first two stanzas:<br />
<br />
For the Original Poem-<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Flat swatches of brown and green </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kicking up the dust and grime </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Of a time, once, when you held hands </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spinning through the old haunt </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But time has not been kind to your old spot. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The termites gnawed through the heartstrings, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The sweat slid between you </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A barrier to repel the connection </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And spin you apart in different directions </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As you build momentum and grasp tighter.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
I had not thought very deeply about the subject of this poem – but my peer reviewers did.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I failed to copy direct comments form those reviews and I can’t share those here (went to look for them online and the segment of the course is closed because the course ended, oops).<br />
<br />
But- some major notes that shifted my thinking about the poem:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Many fluff words and conjuctions that aren’t needed in this poem.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The use of “you” is strange. Maybe try using “us” instead.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The first line of stanza 2, about the termintes and heartstrings, was really powerful.</li>
</ul>
<br />
At first, I just decided to try the suggested changes and see how I felt. I removed the conjunctions and reread the poem.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
It was tighter and made the emotions pop out more vividly.</div>
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Then I decided to change every “you” to “us” and read it again.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Holy wow!</b></div>
<br />
Suddenly the poem was not about a place or a distant memory of when I was 6.<br />
<br />
Suddenly the poem was very obviously (to me) about an old friend who I had lost touch with. These two memories didn’t even take place at the same time in my life.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The park was from age 6. The person I met when I was 12.</div>
<br />
But the images of gnawed on heartstrings, the dynamic of pulling apart and falling into disrepair, was clearly about an old friendship.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Without the input of an impartial reader outside my own head, I may have never made that connection. I think the resulting poem was a lot more personal and important to me.<br />
<br />
Was it better?<br />
<br />
I think so, but I really think that can be up to you.<br />
<br />
Here’s the first two stanzas again. Also, I changed the title to “Tornado Memories”:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Dust swirls above flat browns and greens</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kicked up memories in dust and grime</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Of a time, once, when we held hands.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spinning wildly in forest decay</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Leaving snail tracks in our wake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Time is not kind to wistful minds.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The termites gnawed through heartstrings.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The sweat slid between us </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Two like magnets repulsed by connection </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spinning us apart in different directions</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You, swept in the dancing arms of love. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Me, windswept, clawing to grasp tighter.</div>
<br />
I really like the second version!<br />
<br />
Basically, I wanted to use this post to show how, even innocuous comments like suggesting a change of pronouns can impact how you, as the writer, see the poem.<br />
<br />
Such a small suggestion, but a big change!<br />
<br />
Now you don’t have to take all the advice you are given.<br />
<br />
But I like to try out some simple changes like this just to see if I like it.<br />
<br />
You can always change it back, after all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Any comments and suggestions? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Want to share a poem and get feedback? That sounds fun! Wanna try it? Leave a bit of poetry in the comments and see what feedback you get.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next week I’m going to do something similar with a fiction piece I had workshopped, so stay tuned if you prefer fiction/prose. I’m getting to that!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-5441135971583369622017-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-18T08:00:22.844-08:00Books I'm Taking to South Korea<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: #a64d79;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I’m in Korea!</span></b> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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This and the next few
posts are written and scheduled in advanced because … I have no idea what the
transition is going to be like. More on that in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Since today is my book post day, I
thought I’d share which physical books I’m taking with me to South Korea!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqZIrJm4cIp9LLuuskq8oj3K-WyOM_T8MxKVr5cU_T6RijNfIDP2fm1wiKOvPtwEYrSYzRWhWnaviINIIwQq0JmC3d53xeBewDMhlqt-0u8dRNWXsKdUapcv5JoUkWy5e_tyFSSQC4hzJ/s1600/Books+to+SoKo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqZIrJm4cIp9LLuuskq8oj3K-WyOM_T8MxKVr5cU_T6RijNfIDP2fm1wiKOvPtwEYrSYzRWhWnaviINIIwQq0JmC3d53xeBewDMhlqt-0u8dRNWXsKdUapcv5JoUkWy5e_tyFSSQC4hzJ/s320/Books+to+SoKo.jpg" title="Books I'm Taking to South Korea" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it
again, I started the year with the goal of getting my TBR down to physical
zero. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So far, I’m down to 3, and these are the books I’m taking to SoKo with me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">First, the book I want to read on
the plane:</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b><u><i>Educating
Simon</i> by Robin Reardon</u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405987534l/18723585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405987534l/18723585.jpg" title="educating simon by robin reardon" width="132" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
This is an LGBT YA novel that I
bought when I was in London last year. It’s the story of a boy named Simon
learning to live with his new step-father and step-sister. After his mother
married this man, the whole family up and moved from England to Boston, so he
has to deal with living in a new country (I can relate).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Finally, he is assigned to coach an
11-year-old who confides in Simon that<i> he</i>
is really a <i>she</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
There is standard YA coming-of-age.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Life uprooted after a big family
change and move.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
And navigating life alongside a
transgender child.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Lots of issues I relate to and I’m
really looking forward to the read.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
I’ve also read one other novel by
Robin Reardon, which I really enjoyed, so I have high hopes!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Then, 2 hefty books I’ve had on my
shelf for years:</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b><u><i>The
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle </i>by Haruki Murakami</u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322148274l/284066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322148274l/284066.jpg" title="The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami" width="128" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
To be honest, I have no idea what
this book is actually about. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I’ve read Murakami’s short stories
for a literature class in university. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I DNFed <i>Kafka on the Shore</i> several years ago. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
But a lot of friends and people I
admire are huge fans of Murakami, so I want to give him one more chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Please say nothing about what this
book is about. I would rather go in blind!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
AND:<div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<b><u><i>Sophie’s
World</i> by Jostein Gaarder</u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391118333l/25406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391118333l/25406.jpg" title="Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
This one is a novel that is kind of
meant as an introduction to philosophy. It’s about a Norwegian girl who is
learning different philosophy after finding notes in her mailbox asking “Who
are you?” and “Where does the world come from?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I’m really interested in different
forms of philosophy so this sounds like a cool book to learn more about the
subject. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Also, because it’s from the point of
view of a 14-year-old girl in Norway learning all these things, there’s a
younger perspective to the ideas that I look forward to experiencing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
So there you have it! The 3 books I'm taking to South Korea with me!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
I also have my Kindle, and I will be reading a ton of books on that also. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Plus, I use various apps and services to get ebooks and audiobooks in Korea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
I will have plenty of reading material!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My challenge to you - if you could only take three books with you to a foreign country </span>(from your TBR)<span style="font-size: large;"> what would they be?</span></b></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-57668361673473347632017-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-17T08:00:07.783-08:00Moving Abroad Experiences<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
Today, when this blog goes live, I’m
on a plane to South Korea to start my new job as a Kindergarten teacher (well,
to start training anyway. Job starts March 2<sup>nd</sup>).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><u>It seems like a perfect time to talk
about my decision to move abroad.</u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4LGRyi0mvpLqfgvLQMjsYqpXI0m94isQISTS8Q0XfgvN5xCJMPskH4iBfc5BoJcGZhQyB2QUKoIqbX7AyyTpm-Oi8n8LO6SA5yckjE0HgpQSixPJfUCb8Gvf4x7tN3QLronquQwOx9uf/s1600/Moving+Abroad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4LGRyi0mvpLqfgvLQMjsYqpXI0m94isQISTS8Q0XfgvN5xCJMPskH4iBfc5BoJcGZhQyB2QUKoIqbX7AyyTpm-Oi8n8LO6SA5yckjE0HgpQSixPJfUCb8Gvf4x7tN3QLronquQwOx9uf/s320/Moving+Abroad.jpg" title="Moving Abroad Alone // Books and Briars" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
The first time I got on a plane to
another country, I was 20 years old flying to Shanghai, China for a semester
abroad. That was only 3 months, and I had my friend traveling with me the whole
time. I was going to school and exploring the city, but I felt like just a
regular student.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
I didn’t get really comfortable
being in China until the end of month 3, as I was getting ready to go home. I
wished I could have stayed longer but I was eager to go home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
In 2015, I got a job teaching in
South Korea (very similar to what I’m doing now).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
For the first time I was going
alone. I was meeting with others in the same government teaching program as me
(EPIK), but I was flying alone. I would be living alone in an apartment, not in
a student dorm.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Most importantly, <b>I didn’t speak
much, if any Korean.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I went to China after studying the
language for 2 years. I was at least a bit comfortable with Mandarin Chinese.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
I knew how to sound out written
Korean, but never really knew what any of it said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
I figured out menus and food pretty
quick, but living alone in a country where I don’t speak the language and most
people around me (outside of work) didn’t speak English –<i><u><span style="font-size: large;"> I got majorly
stressed out.</span></u></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I’m really glad I did it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Living alone in Korea really pushed
me to grow as a person. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I had to cook and take care of the
apartment all alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I had to learn to be alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Out of my comfort zone, first job
out of university, I struggled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Clearly, that was not a deterrent
because I’m going back!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Honestly, if you are at a point in
your life where you can take a leap and go live alone in a foreign country, I
say do it.</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
The experience is amazing and,
though there are definitely low points and stress and days I cried myself to
sleep, I am stronger for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-9264236410830309092017-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-15T08:00:25.703-08:00T5W: Favorite Non-Written Books<div style="text-align: center;">
Everybody loves a good story. Sometimes that story does <i>not</i> come as a novel or a mostly text-based vehicle. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's why this week in Top 5 Wednesday (check it out on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday" target="_blank">GoodReads</a>), everyone is talking about their favorite <b><u>Non-"Written"</u></b> books. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So things like comics and graphic novels, as well as audiobooks and more!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ryPzNHNSEGAXDemTcsaI-h_D6dfHM8ePw8C6UnjP114UYk_-oQwYeOyB_WTA4b4WDrFeqBqdpos5nQsuP_Geh85LS0htGqp-KhPmSgZC5-WUoKBsOluoLKGbwQErSOrAsjYzOfftEBlP/s1600/T5W+Feb+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ryPzNHNSEGAXDemTcsaI-h_D6dfHM8ePw8C6UnjP114UYk_-oQwYeOyB_WTA4b4WDrFeqBqdpos5nQsuP_Geh85LS0htGqp-KhPmSgZC5-WUoKBsOluoLKGbwQErSOrAsjYzOfftEBlP/s320/T5W+Feb+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In no particular order:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 1!</u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Locke and Key</i> by Joe Hill, on <u>audiobook</u></span></div>
<u><br /></u>
<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441385552l/26225895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441385552l/26225895.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<u><br /></u>
I got this audiobook free from audible in October of 2015, when it was a special for Halloween and dear god I could not stop listening.<br />
<br />
Because <i>Locke and Key</i> is originally a graphic novel, I was unsure how it would be translated into an audiobook.<br />
<br />
Some genius made the choice to make this a full cast recording and create a unique soundtrack to convey the images without adding too much narration.<br />
<br />
Brilliant portrayal of a graphic novel in audio - love love love love love!!!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 2!</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Justice League/Power Rangers 2017</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Written by Tom Taylor; Art by Stephen Byrne, a <u>comic</u></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.readcomics.tv/images/manga/justice-league-power-rangers-2017/2/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.readcomics.tv/images/manga/justice-league-power-rangers-2017/2/1.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I saw this last month while I was browsing DC for Rebirth comics and had to do a double take.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Justice League <i>and</i> Power Rangers? YASSSS!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm a bit ambivalent about the Justice League as a whole, but love Batman and the Bat-fam.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I just freakin' love Power Rangers, especially the original team as seen here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There are only 2 issues out as of now, but seriously already in love. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
New editions every month! I can't wait!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u>Number 3!</u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Never Let Me Go </i>by Kazuo Ishiguro, on a<u>udiobook</u></span></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320523414l/331679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320523414l/331679.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I loved listening to this book. I think the reader is really great at conveying all the conflicting emotions in this story.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Honestly, I don't think I would have read this without being able to listen to it. It started rather slow, but is really interesting as an exploration of humanity.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had this book for so long, but avoided it because I had been spoiled about something rather major in the book beforehand. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My advice for this book is to go into it completely blind. It's well written and deserves attention if you like literary fiction. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just go for it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Reviews = Spoilers almost all the time for this book.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 4!</u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>On Writing</i> by Stephen King, on <u>audiobook</u></span></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436735207l/10569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436735207l/10569.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I read this book years ago, in about 2012 while traveling in China, on audiobook, and it has stuck with me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I always loved Stephen King's books and this book was like a window into his life and how he got to be where he is as a writer. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is really interesting and encouraging. The fact that it's read by the author is also one of my favorite things about audiobooks.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 5!</u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dragon Knights</i> by Mineko Ohkami, a <u>manga</u></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348190395l/626322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348190395l/626322.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a less common manga in that I don't see many people talking about it, but I read the first 3 books in about middle school, and I love them!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This series is a ridiculous farce of an adventure with 3 magical knights who only sort of get along and make a lot of hysterical life choices. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I read these books for a good laugh anytime I feel down because it's just good fun!</div>
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<br /></div>
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There is my list of favorite non-written books! Agree? Disagree? </div>
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Any thoughts and comments at all, let me know!</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-89078508194191955782017-02-13T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-13T08:00:09.985-08:00Online Writing Classes? <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Taking creative
writing classes in college really lit a fire in me for exploring creative
writing theory and practice <i>(beyond just whatever I word-vomit on paper and
screen)</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
But I’m not in
college anymore! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
But
I still want to take classes!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
But I can’t commit
to something in person!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Also, I’m broke and
in serious school debt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
I turned to my last
resort <i>(jk, it’s always the first thing I do) </i>– <b>searching the internet!</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5Dxy9h9EIKUommryw6S0DaRGAwpIzMcJ6Ugd0JUi5Rr89awNx3vwha7K7jUjueyhNSMfzkccDZZSkK-X_8BsKqIZawy7Du-4O6vQ9wTphsLK2hfjcp-71DPJzyhaK8NidPolxsTvFAEI/s1600/Part+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5Dxy9h9EIKUommryw6S0DaRGAwpIzMcJ6Ugd0JUi5Rr89awNx3vwha7K7jUjueyhNSMfzkccDZZSkK-X_8BsKqIZawy7Du-4O6vQ9wTphsLK2hfjcp-71DPJzyhaK8NidPolxsTvFAEI/s320/Part+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
I have looked into
various different ways of taking free writing “classes” online to keep up a
writing practice and I’ve found that, for me, structure is key. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
I can’t do
self-driven classes that you start whenever, finish whenever, without some kind
of set dates and deadlines. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">I would start
strong, and then fall off the wagon in about a week.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Then I found the
<u><b>CalArts Poetry Writing Workshop</b></u> on Coursera. <b><i><span style="color: red;">Love!</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
This course is 6
weeks long, and each week has a set of videos and a quiz about various
components of poetry: meter, rhyme, rhythm, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Beyond that, there
are 2 prompts each week to try to implement the ideas in the lessons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Twice in the
course, you can submit a poem from one of the prompts to have two of your peers
comment and review.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<i>(You also have to
review two of your peer’s poems, of course.)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
While this is an
online course, and no one is really on you to complete the work so you have to
have <i>some</i> self-discipline, the
deadlines provide the structure needed to keep up with the work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Other courses do <i>not</i> have this structure. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
I have found that I
need to stay away from “self-directed” learning courses that provide a syllabus
and materials and you can do the work whenever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b>If there is no
feedback, I can’t do it.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Some courses on
Coursera are a bit like this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
There is a start
date, and discussion threads to talk to classmates, but with so many people in
a course (I had one with about 700 people it seemed), it’s difficult to really
build a relationship with anyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
There is no guaranteed
teacher interaction, and <b><i>I can not do it.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Overall, online
classes, especially free online “classes” are <b><u>hit and miss</u></b>. Really read the
expectations and see if the work is something you can do by yourself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Every
person has individual needs, so judge for yourself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Also, just try what
I did – give the class a shot. If it’s free, you don’t have anything to lose. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
(Just don’t try to
stick to a class you dislike. Feel free to stop and do something actually
helpful to you.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<u>If you know any
great online classes, let me know!</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">I would encourage
you to check out CalArts on Coursera if you want to explore poetry!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-82803552856227860462017-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-11T08:00:22.932-08:00Audiobooks! AKA Bookish Fitness<div style="text-align: center;">
I live a rather sedentary life.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I read, I write, I do a lot of stuff on the computer.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Most of that involves me sitting butt-in-chair and getting stuff done.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But this year, I combined my love of reading with my desire to be more active, all thanks to the wonder that is AUDIOBOOKS!</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6PJFxJQN4Mh051S85DHdR4ajOXsqxgqNCBEl4AHv8CzjoMmgs8eKBRWyxkRi9y0yhyphenhyphen8R9RaQl2qjHNZWmCohcERlBwIT05eTQB9XrevdolP4sVpFvUepMRqP452m-zXiNnRZMODVAPBZ/s1600/Audiobooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6PJFxJQN4Mh051S85DHdR4ajOXsqxgqNCBEl4AHv8CzjoMmgs8eKBRWyxkRi9y0yhyphenhyphen8R9RaQl2qjHNZWmCohcERlBwIT05eTQB9XrevdolP4sVpFvUepMRqP452m-zXiNnRZMODVAPBZ/s320/Audiobooks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I am not a naturally active person, like some people are. I can be perfectly comfortable doing nothing and lazing around in bed all day. But I know my endurance and my ability to go out and explore my city and surroundings has sharply declines after moving home.<br />
<br />
I'm facing returning to the classroom as a teacher. I'm going to have a class full of tiny people after me for attention all day at work in just a few weeks.<br />
<br />
I need to keep up.<br />
<br />
So I took up running to increase my general fitness and endurance.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
But running is BORING!</div>
<br />
I don't care how pretty the areas in which I'm running can be - after about 2 days of it, I'm bored.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So I decided that every run, which I would go on for about 30-45 minutes, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I would listen to an audiobook.</span></div>
<br />
Now, I may look crazy, jogging down the street and giggling madly at what a character has just said, or wrinkling my eyebrows and wondering how she's going to get herself out of this mess, but I'm <i>NOT</i> bored.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
(And I'm not <i>boring</i> so if someone passes me on the street, </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
maybe they can be as entertained as I am.)</div>
<br />
So far, I've been listening to <i>The Final Empire</i> by Brandon Sanderson on audiobook on nearly every run I've gone on this year (otherwise I'm listening to <i>The Hamilton Mixtape</i>.)<br />
<br />
I've listened to just over 13 hours of this book so far, more than I've listened to any audiobook in all of 2016.<br />
<br />
And because I <i>only</i> listen to this book while I run, I want to go for runs to find out what happens next.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I set it up to be more excited to run, which is amazing because I'm still not the boggiest fan of running.<br />
<br />
I suggest you try it out.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Choose an audiobook that you will <i>only</i> listen to while exercising (walking, jogging, aerobics, whatever).</li>
<li>Make a schedule of when you will exercise, and follow through!</li>
<li>Once you get into it, it is so easy to just keep going because you like the book. Fitness is a bonus!</li>
<li>When you finish one book, pick the next and repeat! It gets you moving, and reading. Two birds, one stone and all that!</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what do you think? Can listening to a book, make a reader a runner?</div>
<div>
I sure hope so! It's going good so far.</div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-24553706263757285862017-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-10T13:08:54.393-08:003 Lessons Learned from Moving Home as an Adult<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">After I finished
college at 22, I had no job lined up because my plan had fallen through, so I
moved home while I was job hunting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
A few months
before I turned 23, I moved to South Korea to teach English while working on an
MA in English online. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I fell in love
with teaching, but the stress of work, school, and living in a foreign country
was taking a toll. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
To devote more
time to my school work and sincerely developing my thesis to complete my
program, I moved home again at 24.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
The plan was to
finish my MA in about 3 months, and get a job before 2016 ended.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Despite numerous
applications and interviews, nothing was coming through. So I decided to apply
to return to Korea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I knew that doing
so was signing on to remain at home for a full year again, but I didn’t see
another option.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Luckily, I got
the job and I leave again exactly one week from today, but I’ve spent the last
year living back at home as an adult after a year of living entirely
independently in a studio apartment in South Korea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I learned a lot
about life and me while fending for myself in Korea, and moving back home was
jarring to say the least.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Here’s a look at
what I learned about dealing with that jarring transition of being home with
family again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrRaypOwDf0FNJhNTF4HKRSFCjud4MKTx0PC0V9BGVqa_7MaWoDA_qmjyPtrfpJ70XE2vWZQeJawDi5ymVMfYkKdMyYz_cftZORoDMc9bwRR1P_7W_Hdx_2OBfPtRYbg9CqNf1Fv_I8Bd/s1600/Moving+Home+as+and+Adult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Moving home after being an independent adult - 3 things to keep in mind" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrRaypOwDf0FNJhNTF4HKRSFCjud4MKTx0PC0V9BGVqa_7MaWoDA_qmjyPtrfpJ70XE2vWZQeJawDi5ymVMfYkKdMyYz_cftZORoDMc9bwRR1P_7W_Hdx_2OBfPtRYbg9CqNf1Fv_I8Bd/s320/Moving+Home+as+and+Adult.jpg" title="3 Lessons Learned from Moving Home as an Adult" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Embrace the fact
that your parents still expect you to have all your childhood habits.</span></b></u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I never used to
wake up before 9am. My mom would comment when I got up before 9.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
I was not a fan
of working out, so any time I did it was worthy of commentary.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Habits that I
developed while away were long familiar to me, but strange and unexpected to my
family (no matter how much we had <i>spoken</i>
about those changes over the year I was away). I was a bit shocked and annoyed
that everything I did was becoming a topic of conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
For some time, I
felt like this was a pressure to return to those old habits I had moved past,
and for some time did just that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
But I realized
that, just as I was transitioning from alone to home, my family was facing the
changed version of me they were suddenly confronted with.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
My family
happened to face this change by commenting on everything I did. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Don’t expect
everything to go smoothly moving home, but know that both you and your family
will become used to each other again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
The commentary
WILL stop (or at least it will not be about all those childhood habits you’ve
long since dropped).<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">In a similar
tone, your family may expect the same level of responsibility from you as
before you left.</span></u></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
So for me, chores were expected like dishes and trash, but
financial contributions weren’t expected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
I took that as a
bit of a challenge to try to contribute more to the house than I had before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
I wasn’t <i>expected</i> to do such things, but I had
done it for myself for so long it wasn’t a hardship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Admittedly, the
food I cooked for myself wasn’t my family’s preference, so I don’t cook much.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Don’t let low
expectations stop you from doing what you can at all times. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">I had money saved
up, so I paid for what I could.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
I also took on
more chores like looking after the pets, doing the dishes more often and so on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
I will say that
being at home makes it harder for me to do these things because I just hate
chores, but I made myself do it anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Finally, feel
free to disagree with your parents about… everything. </u></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Before you got
out and lived life on your own, your main source of exposure to many opinions
came from home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
But after being
away from family, either at college or by living in your own apartment far
away, you have different life experiences. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Don’t discount
that experience!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
You lived it, you
feel it, use it to talk with your family!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
You are not going
to agree on everything. You may have strong opinions that stand against what
your parents do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
Tell them!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Part of growing
up is learning to talk about things you find important with people who
disagree.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
Practice with
your family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
They are supposed
to love you unconditionally, right? Hopefully they will support your
differences.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;">
<i>(Just remember to
be respectful. You can disagree without screaming arguments. Those don’t
convince anyone to see your side of the issue.)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple;">There are the 3
lessons I learned from moving home as an adult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple;">What are your
experiences?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-26022245988366376842017-02-08T08:30:00.000-08:002017-02-10T13:09:16.000-08:00T5W: Tired Book Trends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
How many times have you picked up a book and something about it - on the cover, in the genre, something deep inside that you only find after you've been reading for a while - something makes you go, "Ugh, again?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
That's the topic for this weeks <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday" target="_blank">Top 5 Wednesday</a>!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ0b4Piu6w1zqen2evgmaFPLHqWUieSm1JEh0IQ4QtBLka6WODcO-HaoLV7NPCm7iz6JcilHcWgZwG9GJJzuAtwyICiSdGKyLiV8TUFXzZ_viLzMYEsQOJ9Aq5wdKvrYOv38pEpwiwqxZ/s1600/T5W+Feb+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ0b4Piu6w1zqen2evgmaFPLHqWUieSm1JEh0IQ4QtBLka6WODcO-HaoLV7NPCm7iz6JcilHcWgZwG9GJJzuAtwyICiSdGKyLiV8TUFXzZ_viLzMYEsQOJ9Aq5wdKvrYOv38pEpwiwqxZ/s320/T5W+Feb+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In no particular order, here we go:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b>Number 1!</b></u></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Dystopian books.</span></u></div>
<br />
I was never a fan of the dystopian craze, especially in YA. I think the world is awful enough without some teenager leading a poorly planned rebellion after some apocalyptic societal restructuring.<br />
<br />
Seriously, you fight for freedom, and then what? Not everyone wants freedom, not everyone wants to fight, and who is gong to lead your brave new world? You?<br />
<br />
Yeah, probably not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b>Number 2!</b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Time travel.</span></u></div>
<br />
Some time travel books are really good. Many are not. Just a personal preference, no real specific reason. I'm just tired of time travel stories.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 3!</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Movie Covers.</span></u></div>
<br />
Okay, just a pet peeve of mine - the book cover is changed to feature the movie actors.<br />
<br />
Why? The cover was great! Stop putting soon to be irrelevant people on the cover when they really don't add to the book at all.<br />
<br />
I think a nice, designed book cover can actually add to the story and really provide some hints to the plot and the meaning.<br />
<br />
Actors on book covers just promote their movie - which is <i>not</i> always the book.<br />
<br />
I just hate it. Please stop.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 4!</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Princesses.</span></u></div>
<br />
This one is like number 1 - I just hate the lack of planning and depth in <i>most</i> of these princess stories.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I'm limiting myself based on bad experiences, but princesses and princes and royalty in books is so surface level, and a lot focuses on riches and power to develop plot.<br />
<br />
I want princesses to play in politics. I want princesses who are training to run their country.<br />
<br />
If the main prince(ss) is only living on name or money and not political power and upheaval, just make the character rich. There is no need for royalty when what you want is money.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Number 5!</u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>A series with a "set-up" book 1.</u></span></div>
<br />
For this one, I have a very specific example - <i>Divergent</i> by Veronica Roth.<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374773761l/9717320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374773761l/9717320.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My pet peeve here that I hate to see repeated is the way the first book in this series is very clearly <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The First Book in a SERIES</i>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This entire book set up the world of <i>Divergent</i>, really just going through the motions of life, with a few hints that Tris was <i>different</i> and <i>special</i> but the only real whole-world conflict that changed everything was introduced in the last quarter of the book - if that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you are aware of writing/novel structures, you may have heard of the Hero's Journey where the main character first establishes their daily life, but after about the first 3rd of the book, something pulls the character into a "new world" (literally or figuratively). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In <i>Divergent</i>, this pull happened super late like the whole book was just Act 1 of 3.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">No.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I want the first book to be a book in and of itself. Not just a set-up for a series.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is not an attack on <i>Divergent</i>, I liked the series well enough.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But I think world building and development can be spread across the series, not front-logged in book 1.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Please let this trend die. Please.</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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So there you have it! Agree? Disagree? </div>
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<br /></div>
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Check out next week for another Top 5 Wednesday!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-27020186506735572852017-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-10T13:09:32.239-08:00Learning to Use Writing PromptsI was <b>not</b> the biggest fan of writing to prompts in high school. I would always look for stuff online to jump start my writing and I always felt … off, like wearing an ill-fitting dress.<br />
<br />
When I realized that answering writing prompts was a large part of my first ever creative writing class in high school, I was nervous. I did not like prompts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4zkdpyuOMtV4chsMaLlhYlrtIywzKSHgz_rhzMqRBI1QOZBdNb3z-0CSbRWALJkWGWrg-Ul5gb3XCxpcSzuwpAZk5sTBFNKp3lyWo8yuqOuBC72-m4heQq0uf_35NElOaM_6uS5Z-Nvj/s1600/Part+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4zkdpyuOMtV4chsMaLlhYlrtIywzKSHgz_rhzMqRBI1QOZBdNb3z-0CSbRWALJkWGWrg-Ul5gb3XCxpcSzuwpAZk5sTBFNKp3lyWo8yuqOuBC72-m4heQq0uf_35NElOaM_6uS5Z-Nvj/s320/Part+3.jpg" title="7 Kinds of Writing Prompts" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
It felt like I was being forced to write something I didn’t care about at all, and therefore I felt super blocked.<br />
<br />
Imagine my surprise when the first prompt we had to write to led me to write almost 4 pages in about 20 minutes (maybe 800 words in my handwriting).<br />
<br />
So what was this magical epiphany that I seemingly needed a class to discover?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Different prompts work for different people.</b></u></span></div>
<br />
It seems silly, and intuitive, but I had just never found a type of prompt that I enjoyed answering.<br />
<br />
Here are a few of the different kinds of prompts I have discovered and some examples”<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">First Line Prompts.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
You are given an opening line, sometimes a full sentence and sometimes a fragment. You decide how to complete the story.<br />
<br />
I really love these because you can go in any direction with most lines, making the story happy, sad, a horror story, a love story. It all depends on how you imagine that line making sense.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ex: “It wasn’t until I got to the train station that I realized…”</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>“French is a beautiful language, and the cursing is very creative.”</i></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Setting Prompts.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
You are given a setting, maybe some descriptions to work from.<br />
<br />
Not my favorite prompts, but really workable. These are especially good for practicing building description writing skills and exploring world building in small moments.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ex: Write about a city with white skyscrapers and all the cars are pink.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Write about a cabin in the woods where the nearest town is 12 miles away.</i></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Character Prompts.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
Like Setting Prompts, these give a description to work with, but for a character.<br />
Try to find creative ways to put the traits into a story or scene.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ex: A hiker with only one boot and a water bottle on the side of the road.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A teenage girl with purple hair and black finger nails attending an opera in Italy.</i></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Reimagining Prompts.</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b>
Take a story you already know and give it a new spin.<br />
<br />
This one can be really fun, but I find it kind of hit and miss. Sometimes I really resonate with an idea, and others I cannot think of a single thing to write.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ex: Reimagine the last movie you saw as another genre. Romance becomes horror, family becomes adult, comedy becomes a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator and an obligatory death of the family pet.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Reimagine Cinderella if Cinderella had an affair with her step-sister and Prince Charming was blackmailing her into marriage.</i></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Plot Prompts.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
These prompts give you a few plot points to follow and you can connect the dots to make it work for you.<br />
<br />
Honestly, these are my least favorite prompts. I just don’t tend to like the way it is set up, but I know others who really enjoy the exercise for warm-up writing and such.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ex: A man meets with a lawyer to discuss divorcing his dead wife, whose will stated that they were to remain married. This is complicated by the fact that the will is magically binding.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A young girl wakes to discover that she is on an alien spaceship and her dog is an alien in disguise sent to save her for the sake of the future.</i></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Journal Prompts.</span></i></b><br />
These are ‘remember when’ type prompts that you write from your personal experiences.<br />
<br />
I dislike these because they try to be vague so anyone can use them, but I just can’t think of anything when faced with these. I know they help some, so I’ve included them here.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ex: Remember the first time you went somewhere alone. What were you feeling?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Write about learning to swim.</i></div>
<br />
The last area of prompts I want to discuss is what I call <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Challenge Prompts</span></i></b>. These prompts are things like<br />
<br />
<i>“Set a timer for 2 minutes. When it goes off, change the gender of the main character. Repeat as desired.” </i><br />
<br />
<i>“Write random words on pieces of scrap paper. Every minute, pull out a new word and incorporate it into your story.” </i><br />
<br />
<i>“Write a five page, grammatically correct sentence.”</i> (I got that last one in college and really enjoyed exploring the punctuation necessary to make a sentence that long.)<br />
<br />
These are not so much about story as they are about changing how you think about writing. Explore how you write and really challenge yourself to grow as a writer.<br />
<br />
There are so many more that I could include here, but I just want to mention one more here. Honestly, I’ve found that searching for ‘writing prompts’ can produce overwhelming results, but appending a word like ‘character’ or ‘setting’ or ‘first line’ can really help you find what you want.<br />
<br />
What kinds of prompts work for you? Any memorable prompts stick out in your mind?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-74403386668084528272017-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-10T13:10:38.630-08:00January Reading Wrap-Up (Part 2)In the first half of January, I read 6 books (see those reviews <u><a href="http://booksandbriars.blogspot.com/2017/01/january-mid-way-reading-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>).<br />
In the second half of January, I read...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHus1hG40nvW80HLwrOpcsR2CeQyburq1ihHqGe5BoUq2p2iym0yH0biJ7C2bYYNlKmzxdJIlggioJOYAZ4Xw-mPwMpyBJLTQn4HiTqhVeTH9JrCtS7PpU5AONLicYGBFA_1tC2jSn-0md/s1600/January+2+of+2+Wrap+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHus1hG40nvW80HLwrOpcsR2CeQyburq1ihHqGe5BoUq2p2iym0yH0biJ7C2bYYNlKmzxdJIlggioJOYAZ4Xw-mPwMpyBJLTQn4HiTqhVeTH9JrCtS7PpU5AONLicYGBFA_1tC2jSn-0md/s320/January+2+of+2+Wrap+Up.jpg" title="January Reading Wrap-Up 2017" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>1</b></span> more book.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
That's not bad! I read <b><i>7 books</i></b> in the month of January, which is just 10 less than my reading total in 2016, so yay!!<br />
<br />
Now my goal was to read 10 books, but I got distracted by marathoning Voltron on Netflix and I honestly don't regret that decision. Though that means I have 8 books to read before I leave for Korea in ... 13 days. Crap.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><i><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway</span></i></u> - the one other book I read in January was a bit of a brain twister. I loved and hated the story and the characters in turns. That book was <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i>The Borrower</i> by Rebecca Makkai.</span><br />
<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;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311281832l/9902278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311281832l/9902278.jpg" title="The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Borrower</i> by Rebecca Makkai<br />
A 3-star review.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is the story of a librarian finding her favorite kid hiding out in the library and running away with him - not sure if she is kidnapping him or he is kidnapping her.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
I loved the explorations of self and purpose in this novel. The main character, the librarian Lucy, contemplated her purpose and her choices and her family throughout much of the novel, trying to come to terms with how she fits into her family's history. I think the whole book is more about her coming to terms with who she is than it really is about the kidnapping. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That said, the tale of kidnapping makes for a hilarious plot filled with moments of ridiculous events too strange to believe, but that you really want to believe in. The boy sometimes made comments that had me questioning his age (it sounded too much like an adult writing a kid and threw me out of the story), but beyond that he added a level of fun to an otherwise serious series of events. Sometimes Lucy would get too self-absorbed to handle (basically having a mid-life crisis while contemplating straight up running away) but she is also relatable as a charater who graduated from college and found herself at loose ends trying to be independent.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had so many conflicting feelings about this book, but overall I can say that I liked it, so I give it 3 stars and recommend you read it for yourself and come back to me so we can chat about it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After finishing this book, I honestly wasn't very enthusiastic about picking up another, which lead me to binging on Netflix (first Voltron, then Young Justice season 2, then repeating Voltron....). It was a bit of a slump, and I'm still working through it, but I have plans to spend the weekend reading! Let's see how many books on my TBR I can finish!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-63851648215322017262017-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-10T13:11:07.452-08:0030-Day Challenges 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
This year I've decided that I want to do a 30-day challenge (ish) every month, just for fun. This is not so much a resolution as it is an experiment to challenge and change some of the habits I have that can really bug me.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vdOGZSLMGoXk2kuKnRqxoum37ZXY9VfBFGgkhf-kLSrFA_s7Jwoh7wZLVzTN9vZgX_-GmtSHd2wKcbJf3axUeNa0cl0xsBlmZLYIhOvkTXwNkezymXCnDapWg-Nr21cCS4xStO0M10bV/s1600/30+Day+Challenges+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vdOGZSLMGoXk2kuKnRqxoum37ZXY9VfBFGgkhf-kLSrFA_s7Jwoh7wZLVzTN9vZgX_-GmtSHd2wKcbJf3axUeNa0cl0xsBlmZLYIhOvkTXwNkezymXCnDapWg-Nr21cCS4xStO0M10bV/s320/30+Day+Challenges+2017.jpg" title="30-Day Challenges 2017" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
These challenges are not so much 30-day challenges as monthly challenges. If the day has 31 days like January, it's a 31 day challenge, and February is a 28 day challenge, and so on.</div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As it is now February, I figured I would share some of my challenges for the year, and my reflections on January's Challenge.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(If you don't care about my January Challenge review, skip to the bottom for a list of Challenge ideas!)</i></div>
<h3>
January</h3>
I challenged myself to go <b><span style="font-size: large;">31 days without fanfiction</span></b>. This is a really personal challenge for me, because I've read fanfiction almost every day since I discovered it when I was 10 <i>(so for <b>14 years</b>, I've read <u>something </u>of fanfiction every day)</i>. This is a really difficult habit to break, and I love fanfiction so it's not like I'll never read it again <i>(it's now February 3rd and I've read... a lot of fanfiction already)</i>.<br />
<br />
But another of my personal goals in January was to read 10 books, and reading fanfiction really gets in my way when I want to read books. Fanfiction is so much easier! I can read on my phone with one hand, while books are actual things I have to hold and really focus on.<br />
<br />
So I knew this month would be a challenge. I did not realize just how challenging it would be. I discovered that I have an ingrained reaction when watching TV or movies - when I see something that I like, such as character moments and events, that get glossed over or under-developed, I reach for my phone to see if there is any fanfiction that can fill the void I found in the canon.<br />
<br />
In January, I re-watched Season 6 of Charmed (with Drew Fuller as Chris from the future with lots of under-developed issues) and I struggled not to search for fanfiction. Teen Wolf came back on air and I struggled not to read fanfiction.<br />
<br />
Then I did something really stupid and watched <b><i><u>Voltron: Legendary Defender</u></i></b> on Netflix.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><u><span style="background-color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><u><span style="background-color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I. Died.</span></u></i></b></div>
<br />
There are only 2 seasons. I watched this show in about 2 days. <b>I wanted more, so much more!!! </b><br />
<br />
Usually, I go online and find fanfiction to explore the characters, to explore relationships that are neglected in order to develop plot, to discover all the ships and who loves who and wonderful subtext that I may have missed.<br />
<br />
I could do nothing. I filled that void with searching fanart instead, but that really just made me want the fanfiction.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Basically I struggled.</b></span></div>
<br />
I did read 7 books. I fell into a slump when I watched Voltron but I got out of it again - just not fast enough to finish more before February.<br />
<br />
I think in the future I will be better able to control these habits, because I know it's a giant time suck, but I'm not gonna stop entirely again. I will limit <i>when </i>I read, like only after reading so much from a real book to keep on track with my <i>book</i> reading goals as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway, that was January. <b>Now it's February and this month, my goal is <span style="font-size: large;">daily meditation</span>.</b> I tried meditating some in 2015 while living in Korea and I found that it was easier to sleep if I meditated before, and that is my goal this month!<br />
<br />
I am super stressed because I'm moving in ... 14 days. Oh crap. Yeah, so, stress. That is a huge part of my life and majorly affecting my sleep. So I'm meditating for 20 minutes everyday and I'll get back to you later about how that goes. It's only the 3rd, so I don't want to make presumptions about how it's going.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Other challenges!</b></h3>
Throughout the year I'm planning other challenges for myself! Some I know when I'll be doing it, others are just going to be random, but here is the list of challenges I <i>may</i> end up doing throughout 2017:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>No Sugar </b>(I will die.)</li>
<li><b>No Spending </b>(besides bills and necessities for life, of course)</li>
<li><b>No Apps </b>(very difficult)</li>
<li><b>Go Outside Everyday for 15+ minutes </b>(I like to be lazy and not wear pants. This is a challenge for me.)</li>
<li><b>Wake Up Early </b>(like the 5AM Miracle Morning thing?)</li>
<li><b>No Facebook </b>(Probably not <i>that</i> hard.)</li>
<li><b>Write in a Gratitude Journal </b>(Interesting exercise.)</li>
<li><b>Do a Random Act of Kindness Every Day </b>(In South Korea... may be very hard.)</li>
<li><b>No Meat </b>(Again, in South Korea. May be very hard.)</li>
<li><b>Write at Least 500 Words a Day </b>(I just started a new project, so that one may not be difficult.)</li>
<li><b>Daily Vlog? </b>(gotta get back into YouTube first...)</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
What other challenges could I take on? Suggestions are totally welcome!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-12591176394100067852017-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-01T20:26:33.635-08:00Top 5 Wednesday: Non-Book Favorites<div style="text-align: center;">
Top 5 Wednesday is usually about your top 5 books in a category - but not this week!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This week we are listing non-book favorites of the moment and I'm really excited about it!</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Le'go!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqCHoVOfL-wFnUcnzpotR5QN_BCPB1uB-LhKquWkOwFdHYOoev5z3AUE6dIOU7Cbm3Rbnq3EOKGWe4kz2_oUMOc5EUUyBaRdKwI6GwRSe-z3sG13ZuGhNghGp0Cv6s5wVN-xfKly4IGVZ/s1600/T5W+Feb+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqCHoVOfL-wFnUcnzpotR5QN_BCPB1uB-LhKquWkOwFdHYOoev5z3AUE6dIOU7Cbm3Rbnq3EOKGWe4kz2_oUMOc5EUUyBaRdKwI6GwRSe-z3sG13ZuGhNghGp0Cv6s5wVN-xfKly4IGVZ/s320/T5W+Feb+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Rogue NASA twitter account</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am constantly reading all the terrible things going on since Trump took office and this account (and all the others like it) just brings me joy in this resistance. There has been fundraising, general protest information, and science facts! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Personally, I am horrible at science, but I am grateful to all the people who contribute to making the world better and more knowledgeable!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/RogueNASA" target="_blank">@RogueNASA</a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. My Fitbit</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I got myself and my family Fitbits for Christmas and I really love mine. It's glitchy as hell, but it's a fun challenge to get me up and moving every day. Also, getting badges for things like how many steps you get in a day or how many miles you've walked since getting the fitbit!<br />
It's fun!</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. My Planner!</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've watched a bunch of planning videos on YouTube, and last year I got a Happy Planner, which I loved. It was fun to decorate and useful for tracking what I do on a given day. This year I have a Recollections Planner from Michaels, and I use it almost everyday.<br />
It makes me feel productive!</div>
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<a href="http://img.michaels.com/L6/3/IOGLO/876891721/215063296/10478032.jpg?fit=inside%7C220:220" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://img.michaels.com/L6/3/IOGLO/876891721/215063296/10478032.jpg?fit=inside%7C220:220" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2.Lipstick Queen - Frog Prince</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Another purchase from last year, but one I love so so much - Frog Prince lipstick from Lipstick Queen. I bought this with some credits I got from reviewing items from Birchbox last year and I have never loved a lip color as much as I love this one. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you've never heard of the Frog Prince lipstick, it's a bit of a gimmicky product where the lipstick itself looks green, but when you put it on it turns pick and the exact shade is based on your PH levels. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love the color on me, but I also love how smooth and hydrating the lipstick is itself. I often just leave this in my purse and frequently use it when I forget to pocket my chapstick before I leave the house. Total 5 out of 5. Absolutely love!</div>
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<a href="http://www.lipstickqueen.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/r/frog_prince_smoosh_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.lipstickqueen.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/r/frog_prince_smoosh_1.png" width="188" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER!!!!</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Finally, my number one is the Netflix original animation - Voltron: Lengendary Defender.</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/voltron/images/7/7d/Voltron_poster_finaljpeg.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160614002339" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/voltron/images/7/7d/Voltron_poster_finaljpeg.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160614002339" width="135" /></a></div>
Aliens! Space Robots! Character Development!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This show has been on my radar since it came out in June (I think) because one of the voice actors is Bex Taylor-Klaus, who I love from shows like Arrow and MTV's Scream. But despite my interest, I only watched it a few weeks ago when season 2 came out and man ... I love this show!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The characters are complex, the writing is funny, and the action scenes are cool. I never watched the original '80s cartoon and probably never will, but Legendary Defender has my heart and soul. I am totally addicted, and the fanart is brilliant! I could probably gush about this forever without actually saying anything except "Oh my god!" "So cute!" "Gahhhhh!"<br />
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</div>
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<a href="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/voltron_legendary_defender_cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/voltron_legendary_defender_cast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'll just stop now...<br />
<br />
<br />
What are some of you're favorite things lately?<br />
Anything similar to mine?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-84715562192762915522017-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:002017-01-30T08:00:19.033-08:004 Creative Writing Tools<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While I was in
class, I learned a lot of tools to help me write beyond the classroom. The things
I learned can apply to my own regular writing rituals and life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These tools are
especially useful when I’m not feeling motivated or when I want to edit my own
writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm2fPGuOdhM8St3sMv38Klv42l5MlR97-V93btcoHZ9ltIxiUuAfde3AbBEJXyD0YnLr1gUCVNlRMWMJgjyDuhZaY3kBDjYBP97bgLgrOdYm9OPnTTLxr55SJ7KEFqBi6iLBXQmbJTH2R/s1600/Part+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Writing Classrooms Series part 2" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm2fPGuOdhM8St3sMv38Klv42l5MlR97-V93btcoHZ9ltIxiUuAfde3AbBEJXyD0YnLr1gUCVNlRMWMJgjyDuhZaY3kBDjYBP97bgLgrOdYm9OPnTTLxr55SJ7KEFqBi6iLBXQmbJTH2R/s320/Part+2.jpg" title="4 Creative Writing Tools" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">1 – Peer Review. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This can be harder
to get outside the classroom but finding other people to read and comment on
your work is invaluable! Search on sites like <b>Facebook</b> and <b>MeetUp</b> to find writing
groups in your area (or online ones if people aren’t really your thing). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Having
an outside opinion about something you wrote can give insight into how your
writing in perceived and what you may need to change to really get your reader
to see your story as you do. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0in;">You can also ask friends to read for you, but be
sure you ask for honesty, not flattery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<u><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flattery builds confidence, but honest
critique can build your skills.</span></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1A – Guiding
Questions.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a peer
reviewer, I found that there are a few questions that can help you get into the
honest critique and give valuable feedback. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“What is happening here?”</b> Simple,
but useful for the writer to see some concrete interpretations of actions and
events. Think <i>who are the characters,
what are they doing, what is their goal,</i> and so on. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“What are two really
strong moments, and one weak moment?”</b> I like to balance feedback in workshops,
start with a strength, then a weakness, then end with another strength. Try not
to think in terms of how <i>you</i> would
write it differently, but how the author uses moments to convey meaning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Focus
on specific moments in the story or poem. Don’t try to “fix” the whole thing.
That’s not going to be of much help in the long run and likely to just
discourage the writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2 – A Journal. </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The practice of keeping
a writing journal really changed how I observed the world around me. Just a
notebook and pen, but when you keep it with you and write down everything you think
of, you find some seeds for later use. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>I like to make it a game.</u> I challenge myself
to <b>copy down an overheard conversation</b> or to describe a scene I see out the
window. <b>Make up stories about what the people around you are thinking</b>, go people
watching and see who happens by! Maybe that person can inspire you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I once
stood in a crowded subway car writing down a backstory for a punk couple
standing beside me because the way the spoke and interacted with each other was
different from any couple I’d ever seen before. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Or recently I saw someone smack
the guy next to him on the shoulder because said guy was zoned out watching a
train go by. I wrote a scene about the guys planning a heist and the distracted
one was the reluctant tag-along who just wanted to escape on that train. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let
your imagination run free!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">3 – Warm-up
writing.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some days, you just
<i>don’t want </i>to write. Or you don’t know <i>what</i> to write. Fix that by starting a
day/session/whatever with just a few minutes of writing. It can be to a prompt
(more on that later), to a song, to a picture, anything. Especially if you are
feeling blocked or stuck in a project, just start writing some randomness and
see what comes up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Set a timer for 3 to 5 minutes and go for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0in;">The only rule
is: <b><u>you can’t stop writing until the timer goes off. </u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even if what you have
after that time is nonsense, you’ve now been writing for several minutes and
the chances are you can do some more about something that really matters. Some
days that warm-up writing is all I do in a day, but it keeps me writing <i>something</i> every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4 – Prompts. </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing from a
prompt is not something I do naturally, and I really had to learn to use them
well, but now I find that writing prompts can be a great resource when I feel
blocked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are all kinds of prompts you can use for different projects. And
every person is going to find different qualities in a prompt useful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But
really there is a lot more I want to say on the subject, so that will be <b>the
topic for next week! </b>Stay tuned for my thoughts on Prompts (and some sample
prompts that I like to use)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are my 4 Tools I took from writing classes, do you have more? Thoughts on what I said here? Let me know!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-37294342839310549032017-01-28T12:56:00.001-08:002017-01-28T13:01:06.284-08:00Star Wars Book Tag<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Today I’ve put together a book tag for you! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Unfortunately there is no video component of this but I loved this tag from Booktube and wanted to answer the questions myself!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0GQH5auBRJZOe57eTxTafDLV1nONWmUlWMnJD5tJZ5UuSnyGLBwzdQbhfbw6C28AM1t8UEx_mHpBo_LtBzIO97QffxOzMA8eLYk7uWPbnuhBu7MthGuOTvFBcTKcCEA7YE5302lUdwCy/s1600/Star+Wars+Book+Tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0GQH5auBRJZOe57eTxTafDLV1nONWmUlWMnJD5tJZ5UuSnyGLBwzdQbhfbw6C28AM1t8UEx_mHpBo_LtBzIO97QffxOzMA8eLYk7uWPbnuhBu7MthGuOTvFBcTKcCEA7YE5302lUdwCy/s320/Star+Wars+Book+Tag.jpg" title="The Star Wars Book Tag // Books&Briars" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is the Star Wars Book Tag, in honor of Carrie Fisher, by <b>The Restricted Section</b> on Youtube.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Check out the video here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G36EPRf7V-4">Star Wars Book Tag</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Let’s get started!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Questions: </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Princess Leia:</span> Choose a book with a fearless and badass female heroine or protagonist.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1277353630l/631329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1277353630l/631329.jpg" title="Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton" width="120" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">For me, I immediately thought of Anita Blake from the <i>Anita Blake Vampire Hunter</i> series by Laurel K. Hamilton. Especially in the first books in this series, Anita is totally badass and in charge, not taking shit from anyone even though she gets a lot from all the men in her life. (In later books, her priorities change but she is still a pretty badass fighter!) </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Storm Trooper:</span> Choose a book that's a dime a dozen.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410112710l/22510983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410112710l/22510983.jpg" title="Girl Online by Zoe Sugg" width="141" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">My thoughts immediately turned to a recent book I read, <i>Girl Online</i> by Zoe Sugg. This one is just a fluffy contemporary full of all the YA tropes like insta-love and the magical power of a boyfriend to make life better for the “heroine.” It was nothing unique but it was a fun story that made me smile a lot.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. FN2187 (Fin):</span> Choose a book that breaks the mold and stands out from other books in its genre.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440992904l/25779243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440992904l/25779243.jpg" title="Poet Anderson...of Nightmares by Tom DeLonge" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Honestly, this was the first book I found from Instagram instead of more traditional means: <i>Poet Anderson … of Nightmares</i> by Tom DeLonge. I loved the concept of a book being co-written with a YA author (Suzanne Young, of <i>The Program</i> series) as well as tied into a musical soundtrack that just adds to the whole sensation of reading. I can’t say I loved this book, but I did love the concept and I liked the book a great deal, especially the first half (I was rather unsatisfied by the ending). I would love to hear more people’s opinions about this book, because I haven’t seen much about it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. General Organa:</span> Choose a book with a mature, take charge female character who is not afraid to be a leader. </b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348540383l/16045931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348540383l/16045931.jpg" title="Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce" width="121" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Another book from my recently finished pile, I’m going with <i>Magic Steps</i> by Tamora Pierce, book 1 of <i>The Circle Opens</i> quartet. This is about Sandry growing up after the <i>Circle of Magic</i> quartet (though she is still just 14). She left her magic family for her blood family and finds herself taking on responsibilities in her uncle’s kingdom that she hadn’t anticipated. Then she gets involved in a local murder, finds another magic user she is charged with teaching, and generally handles all of the many hurdles she faces with a maturity that far exceeds her age. She comes into her own as a leader in this book and it was fun to read so many years after I first read a Tamora Pierce book and realize that all those lessons are still very relevant and useful to an adult reader-me. Just as they were useful and relevant to a child reader-me!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Han Solo and Chewbacca:</span> Choose a book with a dynamic duo who demonstrate a fierce loyalty to each other.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409106553l/23110300.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409106553l/23110300.jpg" title="Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">My favorite dynamic duo is Jeremy and Emmet from <i>Carry the Ocean</i> by Heidi Cullinan. Jeremy has an anxiety disorder and Emmet is autistic and together they create a relationship that allows them to thrive in society. A goal for both of them is to get away from their families and develop their own independence and together they develop the skills they need to do that and to go to college and share an apartment, despite all the struggles they face internally and externally (and of course falling in love). I hesitate about this book because, as far as I know and have researched, Heidi Cullinan is not an OwnVoices writer and, though she does a great deal of research before presenting her finished product, I want to find more books about neurodiverse characters written by neurodiverse authors before I form a stronger conclusion about this book. Opinions of others?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Darth Vader: </span>Choose a dark book that really got into your head.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395720140l/8423927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395720140l/8423927.jpg" title="Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel" width="129" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">This question was very easy for me to answer: <i>Beatrice and Virgil</i> by Yann Martel. This book started kind of slow, but dear god the ending left my head majorly f*cked up. Seriously though I think this book kept me up for weeks thinking about all the happenings at the end. I have no words for this level of head-f*ckery. Read it, guys. Seriously.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">7. C3P0 and R2D2:</span> A book in which your favorite characters were side or minor characters. Or, a book with awesome side or minor characters. </b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442494208l/3427448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442494208l/3427448.jpg" title="The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris" width="132" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Okay, there is an adorable couple in <i>The Girl with No Shadow</i> by Joanne Harris, Nico and Alice, that are in about 20 pages total of this 400 page book, but every time one of them shows up at the chocolate shop I squealed a bit. I love them to death and I hope they are happy and healthy together forever (because seriously they don’t start out happy or healthy). Also, I kind of hated everyone else in the book at some point, but these two were solid loves throughout!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Rey:</span> A book with a reluctant hero or leader.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389114413l/16173250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389114413l/16173250.jpg" title="Gilded by Christina Farley" width="131" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Literally, the main character of <i>Gilded</i> by Christina Farley spends over half the book trying to deny her “destiny” and then sort of thinking along the lines of “okay, first I defeat this evil, then I go back to my normal life. No one has to know anything and this will all be over.” Majorly reluctant, but also really relatable considering she’s in high school and just wants to focus on her grades and boys, not mystical mumbo-jumbo and saving the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">9. Emperor Palpatine:</span> Let the hate flow through you! Pick a book you fucking hated.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309283443l/331319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309283443l/331319.jpg" title="An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser" width="123" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Easy choice: <i>An American Tragedy</i> by Theodore Dreiser. I read this book in high school because the title sounded cool, the plot sounded interesting, and it was on the approved reading list. A friend of mine said she had loved it so I gave it a try. Thing to know: Naturalism, the style of this novel, is a style where everything is social segregation and humans are basically destined to the life they are born in so trying to raise above the class of your birth is doomed to fail. The main character of this books wants to be rich. He fails because he was born poor and therefore he is morally compromised and deficient. He is a horrible person, does horrible things, and I don’t know where he ends up because I couldn’t finish this book I hated it so much. I tried to read another Dreiser book recently and felt much the same about it. Basically, I hate Naturalism. No.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">10. Yoda:</span> Choose a book with a wise but eccentric character.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312066600l/7672380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312066600l/7672380.jpg" title="The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K Le Guin" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It’s a bit of a stretch, but in <i>The Word for World is Forest</i> by Ursula K Le Guin the native people, Athsheans, have an interesting society where they live in small groups in the forest which covers almost all land on the planet. They are pacifists but fight back when charged by one of their own, who they call a god among them (and godhood is obtained by being an actor for change, which is gone when that change has occurred). But an older woman in the village visited by one of the Earthling characters is wise and knowledgeable, but she is also just so strange to an Earth perspective that I think she qualifies as eccentric. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Thoughts? Comments? Insults? Leave it below. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-88055709509243380502017-01-27T08:00:00.001-08:002017-01-27T08:00:18.815-08:00Nerdy Fitness MotivationFor the new year, I decided to take up running and started a beginner's training program. Every other day I get out and run. <div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJyJKmOVbIxSDlj_CgXE8gU_1G2ZmdH3nx3W-C1knzomk7MG8nMuX0qM9IXoPaej7rNaF5vxsar-W74CJlVC0KPzVZCJWsjfelsJqJw-Sj5GwcBXenJv6byVz5kIMsGam_RqMVo5Zf0GM/s1600/Nerdy+Fitness+Motivation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJyJKmOVbIxSDlj_CgXE8gU_1G2ZmdH3nx3W-C1knzomk7MG8nMuX0qM9IXoPaej7rNaF5vxsar-W74CJlVC0KPzVZCJWsjfelsJqJw-Sj5GwcBXenJv6byVz5kIMsGam_RqMVo5Zf0GM/s320/Nerdy+Fitness+Motivation.jpg" title="Nerdy Fitness Motivation - Books&Briars" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few days ago, I was challenged to run for a full 20 minutes without walking and I was struggling.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Just don't stop," </i>I told myself. <i>"You can slow down, speed up, whatever. Just. Don't. Stop."</i></span></div>
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But while I was running, I had some time to think. <b>Why should I not stop? What was keeping me going?</b> Health? Fitness? Endurance?</div>
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Some of that. </div>
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But a strange thought occured to me as I ran - </div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"You would have never made it as a Power Ranger if you let your self stop."</span></div>
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<u><b>What?</b></u></div>
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See, when I was young (and still now, really) I loved Power Rangers. While other girls in my class wanted to grow up and be the first female president, <b>I wanted to be the first female red ranger.</b></div>
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But child-me never actually did anything towards that goal. So now that I'm getting up and active, I find that childhood, nerdy dream, to be a great motivator to get out, even when I am not feeling it.</div>
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After all, if I ever get chosen by Zordon, abducted by aliens, or called to defend this world from threats internal and external - <b><u>I should be able to run for <i>at least</i> 20 minutes.</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqepfihUChP8O1VIEwMsodMu1yjHP8X8jD2SfIPGlo9pWEdlvzZuJgZz5k_UBYAfsY4F2rKw9ohKxquygzYDz4yckbtLb1B7sHQ78z5589n80hBimuPSuHwc4w4__paV_Aypm8EMB7Ntn/s1600/red+ranger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqepfihUChP8O1VIEwMsodMu1yjHP8X8jD2SfIPGlo9pWEdlvzZuJgZz5k_UBYAfsY4F2rKw9ohKxquygzYDz4yckbtLb1B7sHQ78z5589n80hBimuPSuHwc4w4__paV_Aypm8EMB7Ntn/s200/red+ranger.jpg" title="Nerdy Fitness Motivation - dream of being a power ranger" width="200" /></a></div>
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So for the sake of the Earth, I get out and run.</div>
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What about you? What gets you out there, running/writing/dreaming?</div>
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What's your nerdy motivation?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-22856918658078735652017-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:002017-01-25T08:00:30.152-08:00Top 5 Wednesday - Underrated BooksHello again! It's time for another Top 5 Wednesday (find the Goodreads group linked at the bottom of this post for more information and weekly topics and discussion).<br />
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This week the topic is: *drum roll*</div>
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Underrated Books! These are books that I've read and loved and honestly I think deserve a bit more attention from ... everyone else.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKbiZxrviZ3eiK2-5OUNgt61-EHvqd72BM4hleBCtsmHlq22lKyN1BggS0cK2NylkQCIxR7WGIIuHbGMYlolMWOSumv3Bkm2knNaBqK89pdJgP5OwX_iAb1ICYJ4lOkgIkPzdJX3omtwr/s1600/T5W+Jan+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKbiZxrviZ3eiK2-5OUNgt61-EHvqd72BM4hleBCtsmHlq22lKyN1BggS0cK2NylkQCIxR7WGIIuHbGMYlolMWOSumv3Bkm2knNaBqK89pdJgP5OwX_iAb1ICYJ4lOkgIkPzdJX3omtwr/s320/T5W+Jan+25.jpg" title="Top 5 Favorite Underrated Books - Books&Briars" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Let's get started!</b></div>
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Book 1!<br />
<i>When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II</i><br />
by Molly Guptill Manning<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409807603l/22715829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22715829-when-books-went-to-war" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409807603l/22715829.jpg" title="When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning" width="130" /></a><span id="goog_25575932"></span><span id="goog_25575933"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>Not super underrated in that many people have read it - but no one talks about it! This book is so important, especially if you value books which, if you're reading this, I assume you do! It tells the story of how books were specially printed to be accessible to soldiers in the trenches of WWII. A book that fits perfectly in the pocket, printed for the best readability by soldiers in what spare moment they can find. <b>It's a fascinating story of the power books can have on people, especially in keeping spirits up in a time when it would be all to easy to lose hope in everything.</b><br />
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Book 2!</div>
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<i>I Never Promised You a Rose Garden </i></div>
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by Joanne Greenberg</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328326176l/6586393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328326176l/6586393.jpg" title="I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg" width="125" /></a>I read this for a psychology class in college and it's really good at providing an alternate perspective of psychosis and schizophrenia. The main character, Deborah, starts as a 16-year-old who is being institutionalized after attempting suicide. The reader sees her journey and her alternative reality over several years, in and out of the asylum. This is not a new book, but it hasn't lost any of it's power over the experience it conveys.<b> I would recommend it to anyone wanting another perspective on mental illness!</b></div>
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Book 3!</div>
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<i>So You Want to be a Wizard</i> (Young Wizards Book 1)</div>
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by Diane Duane</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458606123l/176519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458606123l/176519.jpg" title="So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane" width="132" /></a>Honestly, this books series is not underrated... like at all. But no one talks about it! The whole premise of this series is young people finding a book called "So You Want to be a Wizard" with instructions on how to be a wizard! The kids get magic by finding a book, reading it, and applying the knowledge they gain to their lives! This is every bookworm's dream, right? I <i>live</i> for this concept, which I'm actually seeing as a theme in this list. Books are good! Books are great! Books about books are the best! <b>Basically this was just an excuse to fangirl about one of my favorite childhood series. Read it, give it to your kids, read it with your kids!</b> Books books books books books. We could all use more books!</div>
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Book 4!</div>
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<i>True Notebooks: A Writer's Year in Juvenile Hall</i></div>
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by Mark Salzman</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328313979l/8181978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328313979l/8181978.jpg" title="True Notebooks by Mark Salzman" width="130" /></a>Another book I read in college! <i>(Seriously, my teachers introduced me to some of the best books.) </i>This one was not an immediate favorite, but the story (non-fiction btw) is captivating. <b>Salzman goes into juvie to teach writing to the inmates and opens a conversation about the whole American prison industrial complex and how some of these kids end up being arrested over and over.</b> It's fascinating to see this window into a world I've never experienced, though Salzman's story telling wasn't the greatest. Several times while reading it I literally rolled my eyes at his naivety and what seemed to be a rose-colored view of everyone. Then again - maybe I'm just cynical.</div>
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Book 5!</div>
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<i>Made of Stars</i></div>
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by Kelley York</div>
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Finally, a truly underrated book for this list, with <b>less than 700 ratings on Goodreads</b> I would <i style="font-weight: bold;">love</i> for more people to read this book!</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1363579620l/15739649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1363579620l/15739649.jpg" title="Made of Stars by Kelley York" width="133" /></a>This was the first book I read in 2015 and I feel it really kicked off a great reading year for me. This book is about two siblings who are spending the winter with their father as he is recovering from an accident. They meet up with an old friend from when they would spend summers at their father's house and reconnect, but their friend is hiding something from them and the more time they spend with him, the more they uncover. This book is a darkly contemporary YA, with LGBT themes and great storytelling! <b>After finishing this book, I immediatly went onto my e-reader and picked up another book by Kelley York and now I've read almost every book she's ever written</b> (bar one, because I don't think I'm mentally ready for a book called <i>Suicide Watch</i>) and I'm excited that another book is coming out this April. This book made Kelley York one of my favorite authors, and an auto-buy author at that! Spread love for this book, because it really deserves it!</div>
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Have you read any of these books? What are you're favorite underrated books?</div>
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Let's talk in the comments! I'd love to hear from you.</div>
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Check out the Goodreads page for Top 5 Wednesday for more topics and information!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday">https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday</a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-22337574570857959412017-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:002017-01-23T08:00:25.388-08:00Creative Writing Classrooms – Series Introduction<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
I’ve learned a lot
about writing from Creative Writing classes in my life, and I think many of the
tools I’ve learned can be shared on this platform. Welcome to my first series,
Creative Writing Classrooms! There are 8 parts to this series, updated every
Monday, about what I’ve learned in the many classes I’ve taken in university
and online. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Welcome to Part 1!</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBs6vCvxE4X52XVVpjefvJ6Ht-DRVqmgeuR-1HRWKncbobBqaJKYNuN17WLhNIPrMY8DG9JqqutUy84bSZyOoKAn_Zn3AQ-0by6P0a-TZJTH892OxTeELOPVTQkFlfJCHcvz6WUp217dg/s1600/Part+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBs6vCvxE4X52XVVpjefvJ6Ht-DRVqmgeuR-1HRWKncbobBqaJKYNuN17WLhNIPrMY8DG9JqqutUy84bSZyOoKAn_Zn3AQ-0by6P0a-TZJTH892OxTeELOPVTQkFlfJCHcvz6WUp217dg/s320/Part+1.jpg" title="Introduction to Creative Writing Classes, Part 1 of 8" width="320" /></a></div>
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Are you interested
in taking a creative writing class, but don’t know what to expect? I get it. I
was always hesitant to take a class devoted to creative writing because, in my
head, a <i>creative</i> writing <i>class</i> seemed like an oxymoron. How can
you assign creativity?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
hesitated to enroll in a class because I had some personal doubts about how a class could
help me as a writer. Now that sounds bad. It’s not like I thought I was such a
great writer I didn’t need a class, or there was nothing I could learn. <b>I
worried because writing has always been a personal expression for me. </b></div>
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How can a
class, with so many other students to work with, help me as an individual to
develop my writing voice? I was afraid all I could learn would be grammar and
theory and nothing personally valuable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But then I took the
plunge and enrolled in a class in university. <b>I learned so much and my writing
developed so much and I have never looked back!</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I also took a class
that <b>didn’t work out</b> so well, so I’ve
learned a lot about creative writing classrooms, good, bad and ugly. Hence –
this series!</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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From the
perspective of a Creative Writing student, here are a few things I think you
should know before enrolling!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>First</u>: </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">No 2 classes are the same. </span></b></div>
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I’ll say it
again – because this is the most important bit: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">NO 2 CLASSES ARE THE
SAME!</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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You cannot expect
to have the same experience in a class as someone who took it before you. Even
if the teacher is the same, and the syllabus is the same, the class <b>will</b> be different. </div>
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<u><i>Why? </i></u></div>
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The <u>students</u>
will change. Students shape the entire dynamic of a creative writing class and
drive the focus of the discussions, therefore what you will learn is dependent
on your classmates <i>(and you, of course)</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Second</u>: </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Be comfortable sharing your work.</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Going into a
creative writing class, it’s tempting to think you could coast by as a fly on
the wall, learning from others without having to share your own work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><i style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><br /></i></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><i style="background-color: #f6b26b;">Nope.<o:p></o:p></i></u></b></span></div>
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That’s not how this
is going to work. If you want to get anything out of a creative writing class,
not only do you have to do the writing, you must let others read it. As many
others as you can get. If you are not ready to share what you write with
another person, you are probably not ready for a creative writing class. <i>(But
hey, you can keep tuned in to this series and see what I learned in my classes and how to apply some of it for yourself!)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Third</u>: </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">There are different kinds of “Creative
Writing” classes.</span></b> <o:p></o:p></div>
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This sounds a bit
simple, but really you should know, before going in, what the class structure
is. </div>
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Is it a workshop class? Then expect to read the work of your classmates and
give feedback, as well as get feedback on your own writing <i>(this should happen
in every class, but for a workshop class, classmate’s writing is really the bulk
of the material you will read).</i> </div>
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Is it a class for poetry, fiction, non-fiction,
or some combination of the three? This will shape the theory your class will
focus on and what you will read as well as write. </div>
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Are you taking a short form
class where you will write many different short stories or poems, or is it a
long form class where you will focus on writing one long project like a novel? </div>
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Finally
– is the class focused on a genre, such as horror, science fiction/fantasy,
romance? If it is, be sure that it's a genre you enjoy reading because that’s all
you’re going to read for however long you are in the class.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Again, this seems
like a really simple and obvious point. But it’s important because if you don’t
know what you’re getting into beforehand, you probably won’t have a good
experience in the class. So make sure you know what class you’re taking, and
that you want to take it. </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>You’re desire makes all the difference. </b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Have you taken a Creative Writing Class? What do you think I forgot? Does this post make you more or less likely to take a class in the future?</div>
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Part 2 (coming soon!)– <b>Writing Tools from the Classroom</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Check out what tools I learned from many classes that can help you in your writing!<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-59886730223779899922017-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:002017-01-21T08:00:02.245-08:00January Mid-way Reading Wrap-UpOne of my goals for this month is to read 10 books from my physical TBR and so far I have read 6 books! 6!! These books have mostly been on my shelf for over a year, up to 6 years, and finally I'm getting through them. On top of that general accomplishment, I've also just loved all the books I've read, giving each 4 or 5 out of 5 stars. 2017 is shaping up to be a good year for me! Without further ado, check out my first 6 books of the year under the break!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmLkZh09wVzCN5JsRTZXbbGzRGVp2JgCSxPLjQHRwDvzoVeTffdL11hiTxi576cNY5GLVqbirbo9pWDuQlUHEE3NU-swj2Xj1BDHk9-mXsjgToDiv-qXZoe4KkWYl1GN520ZFqgXomhTO/s1600/January+1+of+2+Wrap-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmLkZh09wVzCN5JsRTZXbbGzRGVp2JgCSxPLjQHRwDvzoVeTffdL11hiTxi576cNY5GLVqbirbo9pWDuQlUHEE3NU-swj2Xj1BDHk9-mXsjgToDiv-qXZoe4KkWYl1GN520ZFqgXomhTO/s320/January+1+of+2+Wrap-Up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The First Book:</div>
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<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;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404964293l/22103725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404964293l/22103725.jpg" title="Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton, 4 star review" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unspeakable</i> by Abbie Rushton<br />4 stars!</td></tr>
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My first book of 2017 set me off to a great start for the year, in my opinion. <b><i>Unspeakable</i> is the story of a teenage girl in England who has stopped speaking after some event in her past. She is afraid that if she says anything at all, she will share something she wants to keep hidden. </b>Just not talking has been working for her until a new girl transfers in. This new girl is interesting, she wants to be friends with Megan, and she makes Megan want to speak. And she has her own secret.</div>
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I loved the <b>depth of secrets</b> in this book. Told from Megan’s point of view, the reader doesn’t know a lot of what’s going on and just as she won’t speak of her secret to others, she doesn’t even think it so the reader is kept in the dark as well. <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I wanted to know what would be revealed and uncover the layers of secrets, so I kept reading. Overall this story drew me in and kept me curious, so I gave it 4 stars.</span></u></div>
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A few final notes on content, this book is YA <i>(which I’ve honestly not always enjoyed)</i> and I picked it up because I found it in a LGBT book shop in London <i>(Gay’s the Word – do recommend)</i>. I like the portrayal of discovery, but it’s also not made into the central theme of the novel so it just gave some depth to the relationships while focusing on the mystery of Megan’s secret. The fact that the main character is mute is also handled well by the author and the characters <i>(for the most part)</i> and it didn’t feel like a plot device but a part of the character’s identity.</div>
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The Second Book:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347567319l/7327811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347567319l/7327811.jpg" title="A Thousand Cuts by Simon Lelic, 4 star review" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A Thousand Cuts</i> by Simon Lelic<br />4 stars!</td></tr>
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From secrets kept in YA to uncovering secrets in what could be a straightforward murder/suicide, my second book of the year was a wholly different experience.<b> Simon Lelic wrote about police inspector Lucia May investigating the murder/suicide of a school teacher, who walked into an auditorium full of kids and opened fire, killing 3 students, 1 other teacher, and himself. </b>Trying to find the motive for this action, May discovers she is the only one who seems to want to find that motive as she encounters overt sexism and bullying throughout her investigation.</div>
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I had a hard time getting into this novel, mostly because it alternates between the development of the novel’s story and the recordings of witness statements from students, teachers, parents, and others. The statements are written with only the person being questioned speaking, there is no text from the questioning officer or anyone else. It’s a bit jarring and hard to understand at first, so getting into the novel took me some time. This book has been on my shelf for years, though, so I felt I had some responsibility to my past self to give it more of a chance and I’m glad I did. <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This book is powerful, it made me uncomfortable about reality and the topic of bullying is handled strongly throughout – bullying in schools, in the police force, and in politics as those pieces are brought into the story. I didn’t enjoy everything, but I deeply appreciated the whole work – 4 stars.</span></u></div>
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Simon Lelic is a UK journalist, and that experience read well in his debut novel, giving powerful impact to the stories of the characters. <i>*This novel was originally titled <u>Rupture</u> in the UK.*</i></div>
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The Third Book:</div>
<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;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442494208l/3427448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442494208l/3427448.jpg" title="The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris, 5 star review" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Girl with No Shadow </i>by Joanne Harris<br />5 stars!!</td></tr>
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My first sequel of the year, The Girl with No Shadow is the sequel to <i>Chocolat</i>, a novel I read about 10 years ago and really loved <i>(also loved the movie with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp)</i>. I may have forgotten a lot of the story, but I loved the sequel as much as I remember loving the first. <b>Our main character, Vianne, is a single mother in France trying to escape the magic that haunts her. But a new character comes onto the scene with her own agendas and brings the magic back into Vianne’s life.</b></div>
I love the magical aspects of this novel, how the characters know strangers and influence the desires of those around them to sell chocolate and make people happy. Over the course of the story, though, I really grew to love and hate the characters equally. The novel alternates POV between Vianne, her preteen daughter Anouk, and the new character Zozie. The alternating ignorance, malice, and general disregard for life within all three characters frustrated me more and more as the novel developed. But the story was so intriguing, and the characters so interesting, I wanted to see the characters through the end. <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I wanted to see some characters succeed, others fail, and overall see how the manipulations and magic came together to reach a satisfying conclusion. And the conclusion was definitely satisfying. Did I love the end? No, I wanted something different to happen, but I’m satisfied and the craft of the whole novel made me want to not only reread <i>Chocolat</i>, but to immediately reread this story as well. 5 stars from me!</span></u><br />
<i>*This book was originally titled <u>The Lollipop Shoes</u> in its original UK publication. *</i><br />
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The Fourth Book:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312066600l/7672380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312066600l/7672380.jpg" title="The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K Le Guin, 4 star review" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Word for World is Forest</i> by Ursula K Le Guin<br />4 stars!</td></tr>
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Finally, I got to read another Ursula K Le Guin book! I first discovered her writing in high school when I read <i>The Left Hand of Darkness</i> for a book report and I loved the strangeness of the alien worlds she created and how real it felt despite all the science fiction. <b>This novel felt especially apropos as it details the human race journeying out into the wilds of space and colonizing planets for natural resources that no longer exist on Earth. And the native species of humans fighting back.</b></div>
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This book shows a couple of alternate perspectives and really gives the reader an understanding of the conflict between the indigenous people and the invading Earthlings <i>(Americans, how appropriate)</i>. Of the three perspectives, I loathed one <i>(and I’m sure the reader is supposed to)</i>, I greatly empathized with another, and the final and most prominent POV was just altogether interesting. This was a short read, but totally worth it and definitely lives up to the greatness I found in that first book from high school. <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The alien planets are vivid and the problems have no simple solution but it’s realistic and kind of inspiring, despite the dark notes. 4 Stars.</span></u></div>
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This book was also the Hugo Award Winner for Best Novella in 1973.</div>
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The Fifth Book:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418079444l/23705519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418079444l/23705519.jpg" title="Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, 4 star review" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Girl Online</i> by Zoe Sugg<br />4 stars!</td></tr>
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Okay, this book was just fluff. <b>Purely fun read about insta-love and hardly any real conflict.</b> I bought it when it was first released because I was in a phase where I just really loved Zoella. Then the whole ghost-writer drama came out and I let it sit on the shelf for a while longer. When I finally picked it up not even 2 weeks into the year, I was glad I did. No, this is not a great book. It’s probably not even really a good book by a lot of metrics, but I enjoyed it. <b>I was smiling through almost the whole 300+ pages of fluffy nonsense. When Penny, our main character, flew off to New York, I knew before she ever landed that the New York City in this novel would be some magical love world created just for Penny to meet her true love, as teenagers do.</b></div>
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But yes, this book is ridiculous, ludicrous, pure escapist nonsense and for that purpose it is wonderful. It has a bit of a slow start but picks up around a third of the way through. The structure is basic, the characters are pretty flat, the only real “conflict” occurs in the last 30 pages and is resolved in the last 3. <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But if you’re not looking for depth (or you’re looking for a present for the target demographic of girls age 9-14) go ahead and give it a shot. It made me smile and laugh out loud so it gets 4 stars from me.</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, The Sixth Book:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440501776l/8494444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440501776l/8494444.jpg" title="The Rhetoric of Death by Judith Rock, 5 star review" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Rhetoric of Death</i> by Judith Rock<br />5 stars!</td></tr>
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I honestly don’t know why I kept this book for so long, but I guess it was a great idea. The title intrigued me and I bought this book way back when from the Border’s Bookstore’s going out of business sale in 2010 for a steep discount. <b><i>The Rhetoric of Death</i> is about a Jesuit priest-in-training in 17th Century France investigating a murder while trying to help direct the college’s annual ballet performance. Also, he is trying to hide his ties to Protestantism, which is unofficially punishable by death. </b></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i>What?! </i></span></div>
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This is not the kind of book I would ever see myself enjoying, but I’ve kept it for about 6 years because the title sounds cool. I do not generally enjoy historical fiction, or religion, or murder mysteries. But I really loved this religious, historical murder mystery! <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Charles du Luc is an interesting character and the writer, Judith Rock, has a true talent for bringing the setting to life. It felt like an accurate portrayal of the 17th century in France, not a romanticized imagination of it. This was a very interesting read overall and I got hooked really quickly so this book because my second 5 star book of the year!</span></u></div>
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Also, I mentioned the author’s skill in bringing the time period to life and I did a bit more research into her as well. I discovered that Judith Rock actually got a PhD in Theology and Art, so she had a large academic background in the era and the people to inform her writing. She is also just an interesting person – she studied dance and spent a few years as a police officer before going back to the theater and writing books. Overall, she just sounds like a cool lady, so I like the book even more!</div>
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There you have it - my first Reading Wrap-Up of the year!</div>
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Have you read any of these books? Do your opinions differ from mine?</div>
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Do you think this post was way too long?</div>
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Comments and criticism is totally welcome. Let's discuss! \/ \/</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7138137517224274945.post-62522490587475350162017-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:002017-01-20T12:00:15.645-08:00New Year Goals: Life, Books, and Writing<div style="text-align: center;">
I started this blog in mid-January, so my New Year's Resolution post is a bit late in the month, but really that just means I can give more info about my goals, right? Right...</div>
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Anyway, I usually don't make grand Resolutions with a capital "R" at the New Year because I never really plan on tracking my progress and therefore it's a pointless exercise. Not so this year! For 2017 I'm making a few Resolutions for myself because I have a system in place to track my progress and hold myself accountable. Without further ado, let's get into it!</div>
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<b>First: I've started this blog and I want to develop and maintain a schedule of posts so that <u>something new is up every week</u>. </b></div>
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I've decided to start ambitiously and go for 3-4 posts a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. However, keeping <i>that</i> schedule is not my resolution because things will change this year and I want to allow room for my growth and development without having to scrap a resolution entirely. So long as I put up something new every week from no through 2018, I'll consider this resolution accomplished. </div>
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<b>Second: I want to build my fitness and continue to workout <u><i>at least</i> 3 times a week in a structured manner.</u></b></div>
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Again, I'm being very lenient with this goal to allow myself to change <i>how</i> I workout over the course of the year. I've started the year doing Yoga daily through Yoga with Adriene's Revolution calendar. I do not expect to be able to maintain <i>daily</i> yoga for the whole year, though I would like to build a regular practice. </div>
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I've also started running with the C25K app and am already half-way though that 8-week course. I hope to continue running regularly and building my endurance, but I'm not going to lock myself in to running 3x a week if I find another cardio that I enjoy more.</div>
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Basically, as long as I'm doing some workout regime that gets me active <i>at least</i> 3 days a week, </div>
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I win!</div>
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<b>Third: I want to get my <i>physical TBR</i> down to 0.</b></div>
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Over the years I've accumulated quite a few books but because I move so frequently, I want to get rid of that weight that I carry around in the form of physical books. Last year I went through and donated about 5 medium sized boxes full of books I didn't plan to read/re-read and that got me down to 15 unread books on my shelf. I want to finish these 15 books and then read physical books as I get them.</div>
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This challenge has a shorted time-frame than a year because I move overseas in February and I want to be able to leave without leaving unread in storage. So far I've cut my 15 books down to 8 and I hope to keep going! (Though honestly I'm losing a bit of momentum already. Help!)</div>
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I'm not tackling my e-reader yet because... there's probably over 100 books on there I haven't read yet.</div>
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<b>Fourth (and final): I want to submit some of my writing for publication.</b><br />
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Notice that I didn't say that I want to <i>get published</i>, because really whether I get published or not is out of my control. What is in my control is submitting my work for consideration. So this year I want to submit <i>something</i> for publication at least every three months, so 4 pieces in total for the whole year. This goal is to get me back into my writing groove and explore short stories more as I have wanted to do for years.</div>
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So that's it! My 4 goals for 2017. </div>
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What do you think? </div>
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Do you agree with my focuses for the year? </div>
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Is it too much, too little?</div>
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Do you make lists like this?</div>
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Comments and discussions down below! Let's chat!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01756429268225393976noreply@blogger.com0