Dunedin!
didn't see that coming? Neither, basically, I decided that my course was cool, but not exactly what I wanted it to be. I enrolled for film school and got in (which, at the time, I was super stoked about), but then I found myself torn. So, I brought a thirty year old Toyota, enrolled at Otago, now here I am.
It's been a while but I finally have the internet. It was strange living so long without it, (like six weeks!?) but at the same time, I got over it and now I have no idea what to do with it... Updating my blog seemed like a good place to start (I felt weird trying to do this at school so I had to wait, please forgive my negligence).
In this lapse of silence I have written a good third of Tellan's sequel, and Tellan-editing is going really well... Uni has kept me pretty busy, but I keep telling people that I'm going to take my laptop with its sketchy plug to Starbucks and sit there all day drinking coffee and writing like a true hipster (will keep you posted on that one.)
xx
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Friday, 25 January 2013
In the interim...
What a hectic few weeks it has been! Since finding out that the one place in the country that I can get the degree I want is at he other end of New Zealand, I have been in a mad rush to get all of my applications , transfers, etc, etc ready to shift!! (phew).
So, just to clarify, sometime in the next few weeks I am going to be packing up the car that I am going to buy with the money that I don't have, stuffing the cat in a cage, taking a boat across the ocean and venturing down to my new life at the university of Otago... in Dunedin. What a mish.
In the meantime, cleaning, jewelry making and editing are still in progress, but slightly back-seated (unfortunately) Although I am pleased to announce that Tellan is way better than it was. The wonders of rigorous editing under the stress of trying to organize ones life...
Anyone want to sell me a car?
xxx
So, just to clarify, sometime in the next few weeks I am going to be packing up the car that I am going to buy with the money that I don't have, stuffing the cat in a cage, taking a boat across the ocean and venturing down to my new life at the university of Otago... in Dunedin. What a mish.
In the meantime, cleaning, jewelry making and editing are still in progress, but slightly back-seated (unfortunately) Although I am pleased to announce that Tellan is way better than it was. The wonders of rigorous editing under the stress of trying to organize ones life...
Anyone want to sell me a car?
xxx
Friday, 23 November 2012
small ramble.
I'm putting my recent lapse of silence down to the turn of the school year and newly discovered freedom.
(Or, we can blame the first few chapters of Tellan.2 taking shape, and Tellan.1 starting to look like a cleaner version of its glorious self.)
I feel like I'm going to ramble, for that I apologize. It's just been so long!
I cut about 20,000 words out of Tellan, much to my own surprise, and I've had to put is aside because I fear that my ruthless weeding of chapters might almost be over-editing.. since iv'e been at it since February.
However I still feel that what I have isn't my 100% best. Of course, I still haven't properly edited a bunch of chapters.. and then there's the prologue which is unusual at this point.... and sometimes I feel like it won't be my best until other eyes see it. Or maybe it'll never be 'my best' because, to be honest, i'm not even sure that standard even exists.
Enough of Tellan though (for this post). The second book is crawling into existence and I've barely ever mentioned it!
(Iv'e decided that my best course of action at this point is to give Tellan to Beta readers and work on .2 for a few days/weeks. And get a query written)...
First things first, i really hate books (from sequel's) that take three or four chapters to recap their predecessor. This blabble is often boring and frustrating for people who actually read books in order. Therefore, I made the decision to include a book one summary in the start of book two. It's unrelated to the actual story so those who have read the book can skip it and those who haven't can read it for a vague overview of what they've missed. It's like that annoying part of every TV show that recaps the last episode...
The second book is pretty awesome, if i may say so myself, the plan makes me wish someone else had already written it so i could read it. I say this knowing that when its written i'll probably throw at walls for a few months wishing it were as cool as it sounded.
Queries. I'm trying to write something 'different' that still fits acceptable guidelines I am currently stuck on how to advertise me, because i'm really rather random. I haven't won any awards, or had anything published (unless you count English prizes at high-school.) my biggest achievement appears to be finishing a year of university with good grades... and lets face it, that's boring, no one cares. Perhaps I should angle toward the Jenn that ran away with the circus and was inspired by the rest of the world...
Also NZ doesn't have many literary agents that offer what i have written. How far across the world do i send it!?
Also, the singer 'Birdy' could totally be my protagonist... from most angles.. Birdy. And I don't say things like that often.. In fact I never do. So this is like.. revolutionary.
It's really weird when you see people in real life who like like the people you invented in your head.
(I mean the internet, I've never seen Birdy in real life. the internet is real life...)
On a completely different tangent. I make playlists that are filled with random songs that I listen to while i write, here are two that have been added to Tellan.2's writing list. To me they are relevant and make sense to a couple of characters and numerous situations and messages. But you have to use your imagination. Or maybe they don't make sense, they just have the right mood... ?
Whatever it is, both songs are epic. Iv'e also been making jewellery, (which some will know is how I came up with 'sparrow and the wolf boy'..) It's been great, and I adore all those who check it out (also Christmas is coming so. you know..) my shop. take a look :D
(Or, we can blame the first few chapters of Tellan.2 taking shape, and Tellan.1 starting to look like a cleaner version of its glorious self.)
I feel like I'm going to ramble, for that I apologize. It's just been so long!
I cut about 20,000 words out of Tellan, much to my own surprise, and I've had to put is aside because I fear that my ruthless weeding of chapters might almost be over-editing.. since iv'e been at it since February.
However I still feel that what I have isn't my 100% best. Of course, I still haven't properly edited a bunch of chapters.. and then there's the prologue which is unusual at this point.... and sometimes I feel like it won't be my best until other eyes see it. Or maybe it'll never be 'my best' because, to be honest, i'm not even sure that standard even exists.
Enough of Tellan though (for this post). The second book is crawling into existence and I've barely ever mentioned it!
(Iv'e decided that my best course of action at this point is to give Tellan to Beta readers and work on .2 for a few days/weeks. And get a query written)...
First things first, i really hate books (from sequel's) that take three or four chapters to recap their predecessor. This blabble is often boring and frustrating for people who actually read books in order. Therefore, I made the decision to include a book one summary in the start of book two. It's unrelated to the actual story so those who have read the book can skip it and those who haven't can read it for a vague overview of what they've missed. It's like that annoying part of every TV show that recaps the last episode...
The second book is pretty awesome, if i may say so myself, the plan makes me wish someone else had already written it so i could read it. I say this knowing that when its written i'll probably throw at walls for a few months wishing it were as cool as it sounded.
Queries. I'm trying to write something 'different' that still fits acceptable guidelines I am currently stuck on how to advertise me, because i'm really rather random. I haven't won any awards, or had anything published (unless you count English prizes at high-school.) my biggest achievement appears to be finishing a year of university with good grades... and lets face it, that's boring, no one cares. Perhaps I should angle toward the Jenn that ran away with the circus and was inspired by the rest of the world...
Also NZ doesn't have many literary agents that offer what i have written. How far across the world do i send it!?
Also, the singer 'Birdy' could totally be my protagonist... from most angles.. Birdy. And I don't say things like that often.. In fact I never do. So this is like.. revolutionary.
It's really weird when you see people in real life who like like the people you invented in your head.
(I mean the internet, I've never seen Birdy in real life. the internet is real life...)
On a completely different tangent. I make playlists that are filled with random songs that I listen to while i write, here are two that have been added to Tellan.2's writing list. To me they are relevant and make sense to a couple of characters and numerous situations and messages. But you have to use your imagination. Or maybe they don't make sense, they just have the right mood... ?
Whatever it is, both songs are epic. Iv'e also been making jewellery, (which some will know is how I came up with 'sparrow and the wolf boy'..) It's been great, and I adore all those who check it out (also Christmas is coming so. you know..) my shop. take a look :D
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Uni VS Edits.
It's so much more fun to go over the posts that I wrote before university whilst still in the early stages of Tellan. I spent that time learning about and exploring my own world, creating three-dimensional people from two-dimensional idea's.
University and editing are a little bit more of a brain drain. And as I've said countless times before, A whole lot less exciting to write about. So why am I writing this now? Easy, because I have a huge assessment due on Monday and some procrastination is required...
In one of those old post's I said that I would finish Tellan, that University wouldn't stand in my way, that I could do both. I certainly will never take that back, but it is just as certain that this 'quest' I set out on (editing a novel whilst juggling full time study) probably isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
It can difficult to find inspiration when you're fried from reading pages and pages of tedious readings, or writing pages and pages of equally as tedious essay's.
I draw motivation enough for editing Tellan by working on Tellan maps and making shiny little necklaces.. that and the fact that I am a crazy perfectionist... It needs to be perrrrrfect. But also, I am as determined as they come, and as passionate about the story as I am about eating... or life (even if I sometimes think the way it's written is a little hopeless...). I've taken it upon myself to take printed chapters of Tellan to school with me, so that I can edit between classes, (when I should be studying) or edit on the bus.
And of course there are those days when I decide that my writing is useless, until I read something that makes me think, JESUS, if this can get published then so can I...
In the last week or so Tellan has lost, from three chapters, more than 1000 words. And I am only just getting started... It's amazing how much text, that I once believed to be so vital, is really superfluous to requirement... (like many words in that sentence).
Since a lot of my old posts we're short, this one will be too. here's 'Synopsis in a sentence' from a very old post... Peace.
"The book follows a member of the 'missy's', hidden at 5 months she grows up a dreamer at 14 she is given information -and a revelation- there ensues her quest toward great power and a list of discoveries -truths beyond her imagination- at the conclusion there are new beginnings, a bit of success and a series of endings all resulting in one outcome -the start of an epic journey......"
Monday, 3 September 2012
just checking in.
yellow!
It's the middle of mid-semester break, A break riddled with procrastination, Tellan-fixing and thing-making! Annd while its been great, I realise that I have committed a little blog-abandonment. So here I am, making up for it. xI brought a new bow, which i suppose we can justify by calling it 'Tellan research,' It's awesome, there's an arrow in my hedge somewhere and an arrowhead stuck in the retaining wall... (went through the target and lodged itself in the fence.. sooo not my fault). I suppose constructing a target out of cardboard boxes and trying to shoot in the very short range that is my garden was always going be a tad tragic. But also tragically awesome..
I have these essays that I should really get started, they're both 2500 words, but they both sound really boring.. So, iv'e been using my time to get some jewellery made instead! it's what I like to call creative procrastination!
Anyway, they can all be seen here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Sparrowandthewolfboy?ref=si_shop
and Here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparrow-and-the-Wolf-Boy-jewellery/117988131618205?ref=hl
short post. I'll be back when I have something interesting to say. xxx
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