5-18-2011

First and foremost, I just put on a pair of pajamas that I haven’t washed in a long time, but they smell like shampoo, so that’s a mystery. Secondly, the dogs are going mad with barking so I hope no one tries to break into my house. Anyhow, that’s not why I’m writing. I have good news,  good news, bad news, bad news, good news, good news and I don’t know what else.

                The first good news, which is the only bit that’s relevant to this journal, is that I’m four pages further into Chapter X than I was a few days ago! Yes! I actually worked more on the book! But now, I’m probably going to change all of it, because it just wasn’t working out the way I wanted it to. So, if I don’t procrastinate, I should get some of that done tomorrow.

                Good news part II. Sarah and I went to the Animal Shelter this afternoon and ended up leaving with, what we were led to believe, were two female rabbits. Sarah named hers Bonnie and mine Whisker, because I wanted to name it after a character from my book. But when we got home, my rabbit did something to Bonnie, that a female rabbit shouldn’t do to another female, so I checked it out, and what do you know? Whisker is a he! That’s the bad news, because we only had one cage.

                Sarah packed him (who we afterwards called Doug) up and took him back to the shelter in exchange for a female. Bad news part II? Sarah called and said that the Animal Shelter gave her two guinea pigs instead. I was quite upset, what with not having a rabbit and all and I do not like guinea pigs. Which leads to good news part III.

                Sarah went back in to buy another rabbit, but they said she could just take one for free. Bad news part III, they were all out of does, so she got the buck that I said I wanted at the shelter (not Whisker, who was the one I ended up with by mistake).  

                More good news? They gave us a free cage for my rabbit, some bedding, a food dish, a cage for the guinea pigs, water containers and such. They also offered Sarah a peacock for five bucks, good news again was that the uncles said no! I cannot stand birds! They’re so creepy!

                My bunny rabbit is named Cecil, and he is sooooooo adorable! I just hope Dear Avery doesn’t jealous. Jeez! These pajamas sure smell nice!

5-15-2011

I discovered a wonderful thing called Google Translate! I cannot believe how much fun it is. I think you can translate between 49 languages, or something like that. Anyhow, I have taken up the habit of translating my book into French, and then back into English. When I do this, it fills in some of the words with the closest match it can find (sometimes the translation of a word isn’t an exact definition with the original input, and reversing the translation will give you the exact definition in English). I made an amazing realization this morning as well. I was reading the English-French-English translation for Chapter II (some of the stuff it comes up with is so funny, I’ll put in examples in a bit), and where Tanner was supposed to say “How else would you get to an afterlife kingdom?”, it said “How else would you get to the realm beyond?” (all lowercase). I, for the life of me, could not figure out why it said realm beyond where it was supposed to say afterlife kingdom. So I went back online to Google Translate, set it for English to French translation, and typed in “afterlife kingdom.” The result was Royaume-delà. I copied this into the text box and changed the translation to French to English. The result said “realm beyond.” I couldn’t believe it! Who would have thought that the exact French translation for afterlife kingdom means realm beyond! It’s astounding, because nowhere in the phrase “realm beyond” does it mention an afterlife. I still can’t get over it! It’s amazing how things work out like that. The Realm Beyond was not a planned title, it just sort of stuck. I’m in awe.

Here are a few examples that cracked me up:

“Makeshift noose” was translated into “Rope of fortune”

“She can’t have gotten far” turned to “It cannot be obtained until now”

“Just be still, okay?” turned to “Just do it again, okay?”

“Thank you, Sir” turned to “Thank you, Mr. President”

One from another book that really cracked me up was Poppa turned into Cushy. So the line “I’m not Poppa,” is now “I’m not Cushy.”

5-9-2011

Finally did some writing – just not with Chapter X. I did manage to get some edits done for Chapter II and for the prologue. They both turned out well, although I’m certain I’ll be visiting the prologue again. I really need to get this finished (as I continue to explain). I really want to submit to Baen by the end of the year – or hopefully the end of summer would be nice. Took out the scene with the rabbit-thing and instead made it so that Tanner and Argent meet directly after she ends up in Ghostalia. He also finds out that she is the princess sooner. I’m hoping to work more on X tonight, but will probably do some edits for IV, so that everything coincides with II – as IV was previously were Argent first encounters Tanner. I don’t think I will keep Conall in there at all, and if I do, it will only be as Aaron’s pet…which gives me an idea. I’ve been trying to think of a weapon that is rightfully his. Maybe it will be a special weapon (not sure what yet) specially crafted by Abel, that has the ability to shift into a Cian cat. At the beginning of each new prince’s (at least the owner of the weapon) life, it will be reborn as a Cian kitten and live its life again, sort of like the legend of the phoenix.

Also pondering a resurrection issue with Galtero’s wife, but will have to incorporate more back story into the third novel. Also had a brief thought about Tanner being framed for a crime in the third book. I’ll jump off that bridge when I get to the top, I guess.

5/6/2011

Still fighting the same case of Writer’s Block, but thinking as well. I received my copyright certificate two days ago, and must say that I am quite pleased. It is lovely to see my name the paper – official documentation of authorship.

                Yesterday was my nineteenth birthday, and Sarah took me to lunch and the Book Cellar (where I have been wanting to go for quite some time now). While in the bookstore, I came across a book titled Jacob Have I Loved. Naturally I had to get it, because I watched the movie when I was little, and had of late been trying and failing to find it again. I just finished reading the book, and my! if that book has won any awards, it deserves each and every one. How is it that the author managed to capture the thoughts of the main character almost effortlessly? If I had that ability…oh, I don’t even know. I cannot say how grateful I would feel. I am moved in some way by almost every novel that I read, and this one was no exception. Yet it captured me in a way that I have not been captured since first finishing Wuthering Heights. I know it sounds a bit odd, but there is something about change in books, and the passage of time that tugs so ruthlessly at my heartstrings. Reading the end of the book, I kept replaying in my mind the earlier scenes – the one that played the loudest was (for some reason) the scene where Sara Louise and Call were sneaking around the Captain’s house. Such a change from this point to the end.

                So, my reason for spilling out my infatuation with this book is my desire to dominate every corner of my characters’ minds, and put what I find into words. I want to give Argent this same kind of life. These realistic thoughts, these credible motivations. I have enough to carry the novel as it is, but I want more – I want the novel to sail on the words, and strike meaning and wonder into hearts. It’s where the act of writing lifts off from entertainment and soars on significance. It’s not an easy act. I know it takes work, and I realize that it rarely come effortlessly. Do I have the devotion? Do I have that necessary mind to entwine something great into my words? All I can do is try. At the end, I’ll be able to step back, take a look, and then I’ll tell you on what scale I have succeeded – if any.