Exerpt from last NaNoWriMo. (bonus post!)

So, NaNoWriMo has come and gone, and I am left with a 50,000+ word manuscript that is in desperate need of editing.

What am I to do? Start editing, of course.

So, that's been taking up a good deal of my time lately, what with fixing all my poor grammar and screwy word choices. Not to mention the stilted dialogue.
Oh, stilted dialogue, why must you plague me so... >.<

That being said, I do have some interesting words in there that for the life of me, I can't recall typing during November. I re-found my choice of "soliloquizing" at one point, and I am pretty dang pleased with that. Overall, I like how it turned out, I really do. The plot arcs in a pleasing way, and my characters (overall) are original and non-Mary-Sue like.

Now, you all, as the readers of my blog, get the dubious honor of reading the first fixed-up bits of my book.

The following is a letter, written from my main character's mother to her lover. It's one of the first bits of the book, and I'm really proud of it.

March 20, 1461

My beloved Carys.
Here I am, living with Tavis now. I miss having you next door, or the next room, or the next chair. If you could only know how often I think of you...

I am so lucky to have a husband who understands me. Tavis is wonderful, he truly is. Never pressures me for anything...as well he shouldn’t! He knows I’m already promised to you, if not in law, in heart. Oh, my beloved, if you and I could only live and marry like I can with Tavis. I long for that day.

How are your parents? How is your sister, Serilde? Is the village missing us? To be frank, I don’t miss them at all. Too many voices saying “No, no, don’t do that. Do it this way, the proper way, our way”. It’s wearing. You aren’t, of course. I miss you so deeply, and I wish...

Oh, if you could see the sunset from our house. All these fiery reds and oranges mixed with the cool purples and blues. I think of you as I watch it every night.
When do you think you’ll have enough money to join us? Another six months? A year? Two years? I’m so impatient, but I can’t help but say hurry, Carys. We’ve been building a small home next door, and then all will be as it used to be. I can’t say “how it should be” since “how it should be” would have us living together in the large house, and Tavis living in the small one next door!

You are still wearing the ring I gave you, am I right? Has Colin asked why you’re wearing another man’s ring yet? I don’t see why you can’t just tell him you aren’t interested. He’ll stop asking when you tell him once and for all that he hasn’t got a chance, but until then, he’ll keep plodding along like the ox that he is.
The air is so crisp and cool up here. Some mornings, it’s like breathing ice. Really wakes you up.

Tavis knows I miss you, and sends his love as well. We talk about you often, and we both miss you terribly. I hope you’ll recognize me when we meet again. Tavis says that I’ve grown paler, if that’s possible! It has to be the mountain air.
I must go now, my love. Thanks be to the gods that we have these letters to exchange. I don’t know what I would do if we didn’t have this.

Wishing you here with me,
Ziska Riedwyn Bronwy


If you liked it, let me know! If not, tell me why, if you would. If you're interested in hearing/reading more, let me know that as well, because I'll have other bits as I go along editing.

Cheers and all that wonderful stuff,
Whimsy

P.S.
If you did NaNo, how'd it turn out? Are you doing it this coming November?

P.P.S. Putting this out here for anyone to read on the internet is really quite nervous-making.

"Mommy, can we take the meme home? It needs a friend."

Why look! A meme!
I got this one from Bonnie over at Follow That Dream.

Books I've read recently or am reading now:
Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
White Cat - Holly Black
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits - Linda Edelstein
Character Naming Sourcebook - Sherrilyn-Kenyon
Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex - Eoin Colfer
The Princess Bride - William Goldman

8 Songs or Albums (I did only albums) I listen to all the time:
Zanna Don't - Original Broadway Cast
Mark Of The Beast - Schaffer The Darklord
Fishing With Finnegan - Fishing With Finnegan
The New Rocky Horror Show: 25 Years Young - Original Cast Recording
RENT - Original Cast Recording
A Very Potter Musical - Starkid Cast
Wicked - Original Broadway Cast
2 Seconds Away - Melissa Li


8 Things I love:
Reading a good book while it's raining...or any other time.
Singing DREADFULLY off key with my family.
Harry Potter.
Laughter.
Hats: Fedoras, knit caps, sun hats, top hats, whatever.
All my pets.
Acting.
Writing, particularly these blog posts.



8 Things I've learned this year (I'm going from September to September):
You really have to throw yourself into things to get anywhere.
How to play guitar.
I can do things that terrify me.
I really am a Slytherin, just like I thought since I was around eight.
How to bleach and dye hair.
People want to read what I write...even if they don't know me in real life.
Writing a novel in a month is something I can do.
Editing video is fun, and I'm kinda-not-that-bad at it.


8 new recipes I want to try and make by the end of the year:
Like Bonnie, I don't really cook, so this is a wee pointless for me to fill out.


8 Favorite online hangouts:
Here.
Facebook.
YouTube.
Twitter.
QueerAttitude.com
Gmail.
NaNoWriMo.org
Does Skype count?


8 Projects I need (want) to work on:
My business I'm starting.
My NaNoWriMo.
Learning more guitar chords.
Making more clothing.
Writing these posts more often.
Writing more music.
Not freaking out so easily.
Doing the cat boxes more often.

8 people I think should do this tag:
If you're reading this, you're tagged! Go forth and post! If you do, I'd love to read it, so comment below if you'd like.

BEDA, Day 23: I'm BACK!

Hello people!

Whilst I was away at the Faire, I noticed that I have hit ten followers. Hooray!

Hello, new people! If you haven't already, I suggest you read the "conversation with you, my blog reader" page, as it tells much about myself.

So, having spent the past two days away from the computer, I now have SO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON. Wow, lots happen over the weekend.

Anyway, I spent the weekend with some of the most wonderous people I know. We went to the RenFaire on Saturday, and then camped over into Sunday, it was funnly awesome...then, at 1am on Sunday...IT RAINED. *cue DOOM music*

SO MUCH WET. I woke up and realized that my only pair of shoes was left outside in the torrential downpour. >.<
So, we packed up the tent and all the rest of the stuff, and decided to go the Faire again that day. It had stopped completely downpouring, so we ventured out into the dampness. It was splendid, it really was. We walked about in the wetness, and then the skies opened once more. We took shelter at first, but eventually just gave it up and frolicked in the torrential rain.

We danced in the rain, caught marshmallows in our mouths from the marshmallow-catapult vendor, told jokes to Robin Hood's Merry Men, ate middle eastern food, and listened to lovely Rennish music.

Sometimes, getting soaked to the skin (Not kidding, NOTHING WAS DRY) and having a three hour ride back home in wet clothes while cold, and cavorting like a mad woman is so worth it.

Think of the memories.

OH! GUESS WHAT I BOUGHT?

Yes, that's a PURPLE ROBIN HOOD HAT. I have such plans for this article of clothing. ^_^

That's all for today.

~Whimsy

P.S. Yes, I'm wearing a plaid shirt. I'm in my PJ's. I'm comfortable.

BEDA, Day 16: My crazy family, party nonsense, and Margaritaville.

Oh-my-good-lordy-hot-diggity-dawg, am I ever TIRED TODAY. WOW.

Here is a brief re-telling of Pepe's party.

So, we (the moms and my sister) leave for Pepe's house at a bit before 2pm, after scouring the house for EVERYthing that we might need for the party, cooking loads of food (my family is Italian*/French; we love to eat), packing up Pepe's truck with chairs, tables, coolers and more, and getting ourselves all gussied up for a party. All morning, this getting-everything-ready took us.

So we get there, at 2 in the afternoon. Keep in mind, the party starts at 6:30, so we're there pretty damn early.

We UNPACK the truck, set up all the tables, move all the patio furniture down to the lawn, move the tables up to the patio, decorate the yard with decor (smile-faces, peace signs, flowers) left over from a Spring Fling (Homeschool prom) two years ago, and start assembling food and getting everything all set.

Then, people start arriving. It's not 6:30 yet. Not even close. These people are my Pepe's partner, (who I shall call J.U.)'s (yes, he's gay) family. I don't really know any of them. So they congregate over at a table and we continue to run around like chickens missing heads.

Finally, we are all set up.

So, I'm crashed out on Pepe's couch in the living room, when one of J.U.'s family/friends come in the room. He turns to me and says "Hola". (Did I mention that J.U. is from Puerto Rico? No? Well, he is.)
So I say "Hi" back, and turn back to look out the window, like I was before, not really attempting conversation.
Then, he says "Como estas**?". My thoughts went a little like this: "Oh god, what does that mean, now he's looking at me like he wants a reply, and I don't know any spanish, oh wait I guess I do, a bit, but what does como estas mean, is it how are you? yeah, I think that's right, oh well, I'll say that I'm good."

I say "Good." He nods and walks away.

So I go outside, (now the party's started) and I settle down in a chair in the "eldery woman" area. I don't know why, but they flock together, like seagulls or something. There I am, with my very cynical Grandma on one side, next to her is my Great Aunt P. or as I call her, Aunt P. Aunt P is kinda-sorta crazy. I love that woman to death, but she's nuts. She glued a christmas tree upside down on her cealing one year, because she lacked floor space. Did I mention that she's 90?

I can't make this stuff up.

So, on my OTHER side, there's M.M, who is Pepe's next-door nieghbor, and the lady who did the chicken dance with me.
And then there's Aunt J, who is really Great Aunt J, but what the hell. Aunt J is the one who looked at my sister and said "skinny ankles" last year. Yep.

Oh family, how you amuse me.

So, to kick-start the conversation, I say "Grandma, guess what I'm doing this August?" She obviously has no clue, so I tell her: "I'm doing Blog Every Day August" then I stop and realize something "Do you know what a blog is?" To which she replies "It's something on the computer, isn't it?"

I love her. No matter what I'm doing, or if she even knows what the hell it is that I'm doing, she's right behind it, %110.


So, this story isn't mine, I wasn't there. It's my sister's. Credit must be given, where credit is due. Taken DIRECTLY from V's account.



"So, Aunt P was talking about how she couldn't live without Wal-Mart, J said she was boycotting it, and P said something about "then you certainly must go to target".
I told her we were boycotting that to, and she asked why, so I told her about Tom Emmer***, and she said "the church has a problem with gay people, I never have, when they make donations they should think 'are there more Christian people or are there more of the gays?'" And then she was like, "probably more gays".

And then there was a thoughtful silence.

And then she said, "and there are even some Christian gays. R's**** sister, for one."
So, she starts listing gay people, like as if to say, "Oh, I know gay people, let me make a LIST!"

She (Aunt P) mentioned some random people I don't know, and then she said "your mother, my son, and even T." (T is my Pepe)

Aunt J said "So, T is gay."

So, Aunt P said "I assume so, he seems to get along with J.U. very well. I often wondered...I mean to say, there's only one bedroom."

J said "doesn't bother me"

Aunt P said "doesn't bother me either. I don't know if he calls himself 'gay' but he certainly is, I guess."

They both nodded conspiratorially.

Sat in silence, then changed the subject."


Huzzah for V, eh? Lovely tale, that.


So, I ended up doing karaoke. I was not surprised about that. I sung "All Star" three Madonna songs (Happy Birthday, Madonna, by the way!), "Love Shack", "Summer Nights", and Margaritaville. TWICE. There aren't many songs I dislike more than Margaritaville. SO ANNOYING, but I knew the words, and I could keep up with the words and everyone else was singing...There were a few others, but I have forgotten the titles. Suffice it to say that I was an integral part of the karaoke.


That's the highlights from the party. Hope you enjoyed. I know it was a tad long, forgive me.

Goodnight/goodmorning/good-whenever-you-read-this,

~Whimsy


*Sicilian, actually, but hey.

** Can't spell Spanish, forgive me.

*** See this article.

**** R is one of my mums.