tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68351441408528228592024-03-12T23:13:39.980-04:00Sophia-Rose's TreehouseHi! I'm Sophia-Rose, and welcome to my treehouse. This is my blog, where I show my graphics, artwork, and music, but is heavily focused on writing.Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-4200240821794610992014-04-03T15:44:00.000-04:002014-04-03T15:46:51.011-04:00The New NaNo Log - Day 3Today was actually much fewer words - only 1,000 - but I have to leave for an evening commitment fairly soon and it took me to the end of the chapter, which is a pretty good stopping point. Mr. Smiley is going to be gone now for most of the book, which is...kind of nice. I'm going to rewrite the MMC and FMC confrontation scene from the MMC's point of view, which should be very interesting.<br />
Highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Not much happened, actually. I have a feeling that a lot of this is going to be cut for the editing. There were some fun conversations, but I feel like they were redundant.</li>
</ul>
Lowlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Not much happened</li>
</ul>
But, you will still get your excerpt!<br />
<br />
Gabby backed away from the portal. “This can’t be real. I’m hallucinating. You’re insane, and so am I.”<div>
“You said you would be willing to go.” Mr. Jackson stood very still, never taking his eyes off of her.</div>
<div>
“It was a game. I didn’t mean it. I thought we were just making conversation.”</div>
<div>
“A custom of yours I never understood.”</div>
<div>
A chill ran through Gabby’s veins. “All those books of yours, written in a mysterious language from far away that had to do with your family history…you’re not from this world, are you? You’re – you’re some sort of space alien, or something. I should go.”</div>
<div>
Mr. Jackson took several sudden steps forward and grabbed her arm. “No, please.”</div>
<div>
She tried to pull away, but his grip was iron. Maybe all his muscles were stronger than normal humans, not just his face muscles. “What? I’m sure you have plenty of capable people on your own planet. You don’t need me. You never needed me."<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i> ~ Sophia-Rose</i></span></div>
Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-31180685475217067462014-04-02T21:48:00.000-04:002014-04-02T21:48:12.413-04:00The New NaNo Log - Day 2I have been keeping up a consistent pace - I did about another 2,000 words today, and it was a lot more fun. Mr. Smiley is less smiley now, which I guess is a good thing. Chapter Two isn't quite done, but it's going to be fun to finish.<br />
Highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I actually had two potential chapter titles: Tea with a Madman and Doorway to Another Realm. Thanks to advice from my cabin, I chose Tea with a Madman and proud of it. That's the sort of thing that I think would catch the eye of someone browsing a Table of Contents.</li>
<li>MC and Mr. Smiley play a little game (see excerpt for abbreviation)</li>
<li>Lots of fun description</li>
</ul>
Lowlights: (word?)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I didn't have much time to write today, otherwise I probably would have done more.</li>
</ul>
Excerpt!<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
“What would you say if I told you that you had to go on an adventure to save another world?”<br />Gabby blinked. The question was even more unexpected, but she answered immediately. “Yes. At least, after I had some time to prepare, yes. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to learn to wield a sword and uncover evil plots.”<br />With a smile, Mr. Jackson asked, “What if swords were off-limits to you?”<br />“Still probably yes,” said Gabby. “I could be the mastermind behind a counterplot.” She smiled back, for the first time since the storm had come in. “Is this some kind of game?”<br />“Of a sort.” Mr. Jackson stood up and slowly wandered toward one of the bookshelves. “How about if swords were off-limits and you had to leave everything you had ever known to visit another world?”</blockquote>
All for today...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span><br />
Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-5578124004048624452014-04-01T18:54:00.002-04:002014-04-01T18:56:02.626-04:00The New NaNo Log - Day 1This was probably the worst I've ever done on a first day - I have only just over 2,000 words under my belt, but I know the dull bits are over because this was Chapter One, which is a rewrite of a rewrite. Ugh.<br />
Highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I added a Prologue, which I almost immediately just merged into Chapter One</li>
<li>I made Mr. Jackson a very smiley person (not sure if this was good or not, but it was fun!)</li>
</ul>
Lowlights: (is this even a word? Whatever. I'm calling it this anyway)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Most of the rest of Chapter One. It just felt boring to me.</li>
</ul>
Well, here's an excerpt!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“And your point…?” Gabby didn’t care just what had happened to Mr. Jackson to make him this happy, but his optimism was ruining the mood. “Why aren’t you dry back at home like everyone else?"<br />"I thought you might like to go somewhere out of the rain, so I came this way to see if you’d like to come to my house for a little while," he replied.<br />“Um…” Since he had come all this way just for her, Gabby tried to put more thought into tact, but eventually gave up. “I don’t even know you all that well, and I really just want to get home. My parents might be wondering why I’ve been gone for so long.”<br />This news didn’t seem to faze Mr. Jackson at all. Gabby wondered if his face muscles were stronger than everyone else’s, because she’d never seen anyone else hold a smile for this long.“When we arrive, we can notify your parents.” When she hesitated, he added, “I have food there as well…I have heard you enjoy chocolate.”</blockquote>
<div>
<br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span></div>
Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-63390895790761533882014-02-19T17:28:00.003-05:002014-02-19T17:28:32.961-05:00What's Happening in WardilothThis is just a short post on what's been going on since winning NaNoWriMo 2013, since I've been pretty quiet about the topic recently.<br />
<br />
The answer is: pretty much nothing, and here's why -<br />
<br />
My enthusiasm has suffered a major - and I mean MAJOR - lag; if you're reading this, you may know about how I struggled with this in November, but back then, I only knew some of the truth. My intrinsic reward was gone, which was definitely true, but I couldn't pinpoint <i>why. </i>Now I know. Here's why. I've been sensing this for a while now. My story is...off. Majorly. Some of the characters are kind of messed up, the overarching plot is formulaic, and I have way too many planned main characters. I plan to keep most of them, but I'll need to shake up the series completely to do it.<br />
<br />
That means a complete rewrite is in order.<br />
<br />
Oddly enough, I'm not sad about it in any way. I'm confident that now that I know what I should salvage and what I should throw away, a complete second (or is it third?) draft will be much better than the previous ones. The themes will be entirely different, but I think this is a good thing. My friends and family were understandably shocked about this decision <i>(how could you just throw away such an accomplishment?) </i>but I'm not throwing it away. The file is still on my computer, and I never plan to delete it. I have, however, removed it from being accessible on this blog.<br />
<br />
The story world, by the way, now has an ink and watercolor map - the world also got a complete makeover. Incidentally, my art class now thinks I am awesome.<br />
<br />
Comments? Please don't be shy.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-45385909169982488762013-12-01T10:46:00.003-05:002013-12-01T10:46:55.644-05:00NaNoWriMo 2013: How and Why I WonThis year's NaNoWriMo was different from what I had expected in many ways. Unlike the easy, early and oh-so-fun win I had experienced at Camp in April, you could say my win this year was almost depressing in several places.<br />
<br />
But do I regret the experience? No way!<br />
<br />
I had known something was wrong all the way back in October, as shown in <a href="http://sophiarosetreehouse.blogspot.com/2013/10/confusion.html" target="_blank">this post</a>. I didn't want to plan. I was missing that spark of inspiration that had driven me to revel in the writing of Legends of Light, the book I wrote in the spring. So slowly, out of disappointment, confusion, and anxiety, working on the new book, Ice Quest, fell to the bottom of my to-do list and I found myself staying up super late on Halloween night to frantically do my outline, after, of course, collecting an amazing haul of candy. I admit, without that chocolate, I would probably have lost.<br />
<br />
Boom! At midnight, National Novel Writing Month 2013 had begun, and I wrote the opening few hundred words. As much as I loved the opening line (If Etimard's entire existence had to be shaken to the core, he preferred that it not be done over a plate of fresh nut bread), my style felt off. Something about this book wasn't like the last.<br />
<br />
At first, my word-count climbed upward at a steady and somewhat manageable pace. My first and second chapters I can absolutely say are some of my best first-draft work yet. However, I reached a snag at Chapter Four. This is a pivotal moment for the series, and I wanted to get it exactly right, since I had been looking forward to it for months. That was my downfall. The words couldn't come out exactly how I wanted them, and I slid into a sort of writing depression that I couldn't climb out of for several days. By then, I was far below the par.<br />
<br />
Bribing myself with chocolate, which worked decently well, I wrote about 3,000 words a day until I reached Chapter Twelve. Despite the chapter being a lovely sequence with some great lines from my favorite wizard apprentice, my heart just wasn't in it, and I took a second depressed break, which turned out to be emotionally draining even though I wasn't actually writing at all.<br />
<br />
At that point, I believed I had given up completely after about three days of not writing. There was no way I could climb out of this newest sinkhole, so I just stopped writing. I'm not proud of that, but I think getting a break was good for me. If I believed I had stopped writing for the month, I stopped worrying, too.<br />
<br />
Soon, it was the day before Thanksgiving. I was in-game on Wizard101, decorating my Wooded Cottage and humming along to the Wizard City Main Theme. I was just putting up the wallpaper when something hit me. I'm still not sure what it was, but I shouted aloud, "WHAT AM I DOING?!? THERE'S ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT!!!" And then I opened up my document, still in the early 30,000s, and started writing.<br />
<br />
I wrote 6,000 words that day, with plenty of chocolate eaten along the way. That evening, despite being very drained, I was exhilarated. I wrote only about half a chapter on Thanksgiving Day, which eased up my stress enough to enjoy the party with my extended family.<br />
<br />
Then came Friday, the 29th. I'm not sure exactly what possessed me, but I took it upon myself to hit 50,000 words. Or else. If Emma could do it, I could do it, too. So I did. That day, I wrote 10,000 words and won, and there was much happiness and relief that night. It took all day, from about 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but I did it, and that was my highlight this year. I never knew I could write so well (those 10K words had some of my favorite scenes), so fast, and so much at once!<br />
<br />
Here's my graph at the end of the month. I was only above the par for about five days.<br />
<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZZ7nqakbISw5QiyT2fcmr9L_TTBVI0_L4ebQ1M8y6oO7OG3xai-a-uxfeaMWSO80HJO12gunfNSGXV-fD-qNKsURUreLS8r_bifZ6t3XIiYdPDHjNSs3gFKztXqb8qwSN2EqRqs3kjw/s1600/Stat+chart.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZZ7nqakbISw5QiyT2fcmr9L_TTBVI0_L4ebQ1M8y6oO7OG3xai-a-uxfeaMWSO80HJO12gunfNSGXV-fD-qNKsURUreLS8r_bifZ6t3XIiYdPDHjNSs3gFKztXqb8qwSN2EqRqs3kjw/s320/Stat+chart.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks rather similar to my cabin stats in the spring, only I won.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So in the end, I had my 50,000 words, albeit in a different way than I had anticipated, but I had won, and that was what I had hoped for all along.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-65682909042503863862013-10-17T15:37:00.000-04:002013-10-17T15:37:34.128-04:00ImprovementI feel somewhat better after venting; I actually managed to get some planning done. I wrote the blurb for Ice Quest (although it has spoilers for the end of Legends of Light):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been over a thousand years since Torvara has seen the
light of day, and she finds that troubles in the capital city of Handelan have
deeply festered during her slumber. Jormunt, the tyrant who hatched a failed
plan to bring down the city’s defenses, has taken the throne, and it is up to
Torvara and her brother Etimard from the past to stop him. Meanwhile, Etimard
faces troubles of his own as rumors of a mysterious and highly dangerous
northern leader spread. While Torvara traverses the perilous path of time
travel to find her brother and Etimard works to unravel the northern regime of
death, their dangerous paths collide. Soon, they discover that they have only
one choice: to gain powers that will end Jormunt’s reign forever, they must
embark on the treacherous and legendary Ice Quest.</div>
</blockquote>
I've also written the one-page summary, and I'm actually starting to feel slightly excited again. My plan for NaNo is to write as much of the story as I got up to with the detailed scene-by-scene chart (without it I get completely lost) and fill the rest of 50k with fanfiction, blog posts, random short stories, etc.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-62219476094000823322013-10-16T08:33:00.000-04:002013-10-16T08:33:09.419-04:00ConfusionIt's October 16th. At this same time of the month in March, I was cruising along in my outline, plotting, worldbuilding, and making lots and lots of blog posts. I was excited for NaNo.<br />
<br />
Now? How am I doing on my agenda? Planning is going abysmally. I've drawn out half of the rough pencil outline for Map #1. I've gotten stuck on my outlining on the one-page summary, which is much less than halfway through the snowflake method. I'm not sure I can finish. I still hate my lead characters. As for blogging? Well, I was going to make a post about how NaNo is the most wonderful time of the year, based off the lyrics of the popular Christmas song. I was also planning a post on the intrinsic reward of writing.<br />
<br />
The problem is that the intrinsic reward is gone. I feel stressed, sad, and confused. Why am I having so much trouble this time around? I had to drag myself into Blogger to write this post. Even though I've done barely any planning, I feel as if I have a case of severe burnout. I used to be so excited for NaNo. I loved planning, and I couldn't wait for November 1st. Now I dread it.<br />
<br />
I don't think I can finish all of this. That means my novel will go unplanned, which practically means it will go unwritten. I have no idea what to do.<br />
<br />
I need help.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-68898742063101390042013-10-01T20:52:00.000-04:002013-10-01T20:52:19.581-04:00The More Specific October Agenda (no rants involved)Here's hoping you read the post on the Artsy Theurgist first.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it's October, the NaNo website is down for the count, and creative excitement is running high. It's almost time for NaNoWriMo 2013, and I'm so excited about finally planning Ice Quest. Elizabeth is going to try NaNo this time around - her username is StoryConjurer.<br />
<br />
This is my more specific agenda:<br />
~ Plan Ice Quest<br />
~ Make pencil-and-paper maps for real<br />
~ Updated world map<br />
~ City map (this one will be hard)<br />
~ Abstract map I'm not going to tell you about<br />
~ Plot out the novel<br />
~ Do the snowflake method<br />
~ Make complete scene and plot chart<br />
~ Fix up characters<br />
~ Make my new male lead less like Rayand<br />
~ Make my new female lead much more likable<br />
~ Work out scheduling scrapes<br />
~ Figure out how to fit IQ's complex plot into one month<br />
~ See if I can get some more of my IRL friends to do it<br />
~ Decide how I'm going to juggle this with school<br />
~ Blog at least a few times a week here<br />
~ Try a post series about how writing relates to art<br />
~ Rewrite the lyrics of a couple of Christmas songs<br />
~ Upload pictures of my new maps<br />
~ Stay up until midnight on Halloween<br />
~ Write at least a couple of hundred words<br />
<br />
Whew! That's a big list! I think I can get most of these done. I have a friend who brought up NaNo on her own, not knowing that I'm planning to do it, and another who doesn't think it's humanly possible to write a whole novel in a month. (What's funny is that the latter is actually very studious - he's exactly the type of person whom I think could handle it!) Let's see if Elizabeth and I can get more people at school involved, and maybe get him to try it, too.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-21729112213404321082013-09-02T14:09:00.003-04:002013-09-02T14:09:35.297-04:00You Can Now Read Legends of Light!Here's the link to the file: <span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #3b4e17; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><a href="http://sdrv.ms/14iPXWE" style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: blue; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" target="_blank">http://sdrv.ms/14iPXWE</a><br />
<br />
In exchange for being able to read the book for free, I'd like it if you could please point out any typos, plot holes, suggestions, etc. I want to make this book as good as I possibly can, and there's a solid chance I missed a few things. Thanks! And enjoy. :)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-35479995224509203872013-08-31T21:30:00.001-04:002013-09-01T12:26:37.630-04:00My New Blurb and Various UpdatesFirst off: I originally named my series Wardiloth's Dragons. In my mind, before starting to write Legends of Light, the dragons were going to be the centerpiece of the entire series. The plot would revolve around them. Now, the dragons are more of a plot piece - an important and essential part of the series, but part of the plot rather than the basis for the plot itself. To reflect these changes, the series is now called the Prophecy Chronicles.<br />
<br />
Second: I finally rewrote my blurb. Here it is!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A sinister plot by a dark stranger and a series of mysterious accidents force Gabby Nelson into an adventure she never wanted. Thrown head first into Wardiloth, a crumbling fantasy realm, she is assigned to the task of curing the city's dragons. Sent to work with her is Rayand, a city guard with a dark past and many secret regrets. A few reckless actions send them on a dangerous odyssey into the heart of enemy territory. While they face dark legends come to life and the subtle plots of a hidden traitor slowly grow, it becomes clear that the fate of Wardiloth rests entirely on the shoulders of these two teens who won't even trust each other. High risks, chilling betrayal, and tests of trust all face Gabby and Rayand as they search for their one final, doubtful chance: an enigmatic and powerful legend of light.</blockquote>
It's a bit long, but I like it a lot.<br />
<br />
In a few days, I'm planning to upload Legends of Light as a free PDF. My general idea is that you could be like beta readers. I want to know how people in my target audience react to my book. More details on that when I actually do it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, now that Legends of Light is just about done, I have more time for other things. You'll see exactly what I mean by this in a couple of days.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-29304193621601014402013-08-19T11:24:00.001-04:002013-08-19T11:24:23.717-04:00I win again!I finished editing LoL yesterday. After finishing it, I now have a greater respect for professional editors. I would never want that job.<br />
<br />
To finish it by today, I had to have another editing marathon yesterday. Raisins were a big life-saver. The final wordcount is just over 70,000 words, slightly shorter than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I'm pleased with myself.<br />
<br />
My parents asked me a whole ton of questions, including the classic "To what do you attribute your success?" I answered, "Raisins!" I think they might think something's wrong with me.<br />
<br />
Anyway, soon I'm going to start showing it to people and work on self-publishing it, which shouldn't take too long. By the way, my last post was #50! :D I can't wait to start plotting out Ice Quest - it's going to be epic.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-69585966169978587322013-08-15T10:26:00.001-04:002013-08-15T15:08:37.524-04:00Editing, Complete with RaisinsRaisins are the best snack ever besides chocolate. I could eat them all day. Once, I was so hungry at lunch that I ate almost half the container before realizing how much I'd eaten. In fact, they are superior to chocolate in just about every way besides general tastiness:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Raisins keep for a long time</li>
<li>Raisins won't make you sick if you have a few too many</li>
<li>Raisins don't make you thirsty</li>
<li>Raisins are better baked into various things, like banana bread. You wouldn't want chocolate in banana bread, would you? I didn't think so.</li>
<li>Raisins are much healthier than chocolate, as the box advertises</li>
</ul>
You probably want me to get to the point. This post, as you may be guessing, serves more purpose than an advertisement for raisins.<br />
<br />
Well, at first glance, editing and raisins are worlds apart. Editing is drudgery; raisins are a snack of solid happiness. Therefore, editing + raisins = productive happiness! So, I'm four days away from my birthday and six chapters away from the end of Legends of Light. I really need to get a move on. What better way than to have a day (today!) of solid editing, with raisins after every chapter? Lots of raisins. Enough to power my story.<br />
<br />
I will begin my editing marathon at 10:30. Every time I finish a chapter, I will have raisins. Lots of raisins. Oh, and I'll post updates, too.<br />
<br />
Wish me luck, and keep checking this post! (Oh, and did I mention that raisins are the best healthy snack EVER?)<br />
<br />
Update 1, 12:01 PM: Chapter 10 is finally done. It was a hard one, since I decided to replace the skeletal dragons with something entirely different and much more interesting. The next few chapters are mostly action, so those should go by fairly quickly. Wordcount so far is 65,754. Hooray! Raisin time! :D<br />
<br />
Update 2, 2:05 PM: I finished Chapter 11. Even though it was somewhat long, it needed surprisingly few edits since it was mostly action. I had to stop in the middle of this period for lunch, so in total, this chapter took me about 1.5 hours. Wordcount so far is 66,568. More raisins now.<br />
<br />
Update 3, 3:07 PM: Chapter 12 is all done! It was on the shorter side and didn't need too many edits, so this was a really quick one. I'm happy about this. Maybe I can finish the book today. Wordcount is now 67,335. I'm now going to enjoy more raisins. (That was the best idea ever.)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-30571260063306802402013-08-13T14:53:00.001-04:002013-08-13T14:53:11.755-04:00I hate orthodontists.Yesterday I got my braces off. I'd been looking forward to this for a month, and I was happy happy happy the whole appointment, even though it felt like they were trying to grind my teeth apart. Ouch! After that, they took X-rays, stretched my lips unreasonably far apart for pictures, and then took some more disgusting goopy impressions, even though I'd just had them last week. Dramatized conversation afterward below:<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: Okay, that's all done!<br />
<br />
Me: So, can I...go now?<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: No! You still have to get your retainer.<br />
<br />
Me: Oh...<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: Here it is! *pulls out weirdly shaped blue rubber attached to wire and weirder rubber strip* Let's try them on: one for the top teeth, one for the bottom! And they're blue, just like you wanted!<br />
<br />
Me: I see.<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: *slides the top one in* Fits like a glove! Aren't those impressions wonderful?<br />
<br />
Me: Rmph. *face is messy with impression goo*<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: Now for the bottom! *attempts to push onto teeth* Hmm, looks like this one is a bit tight. Come back in two more days for more impressions and we can fix it! *passes me mirror* Here, you can look at your teeth if you want.<br />
<br />
Me: *silently stares at perfect teeth*<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: Now, why don't you try talking? Repeat after me: Seven sailors sailed to sea.<br />
<br />
Me: Shefed...AUGH!! Why cad I dak?!<br />
<br />
Orthodontist: See? I'm afraid you won't be able to talk very well...but that's okay. Now here's the list of all the things you need to do to take care of your retainer. Don't get saliva on it, brush it four times a day, only touch it in certain places, and oh, if it breaks, you'd better call us up right away because if you leave your retainer off for more than a week your teeth will move and you'll have to get braces for another three years. Now let's go see your mom and show her your awesome retainer!<br />
<br />
Both of us go out to the waiting room where my mom is waiting.<br />
<br />
Mom: Wow, look at your perfect teeth! How does your retainer feel?<br />
<br />
Me: *starts to tear up, to Mom's surprise* I cad dak vehy weh...<br />
<br />
Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, I <i>hate</i> my retainer. And at the beginning of my braces, they showed me sparkly retainers as a <i>reward</i> for being good with my braces. REWARD?! I was a bit too old to be bribed by sparkles, thank you very much!<br />
<br />
Crazy conspiracy theories: Orthodontists are torturers in disguise sent out to cause massive pain under the guise of being an amazing help to our teeth. Teeth are for eating, not being lined up in perfect sparkly little rows.<br />
<br />
(By the way: Let's see if I can finish LoL by my birthday, the 19th. If I do, I have a surprise in store...)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-41662279172137681332013-07-25T16:46:00.000-04:002013-07-25T16:46:37.508-04:00Tidbits from My Editing JourneyHi. Long time, no see. Yeah, I've been busy this month, with going away and a few other important events that took up a lot of my time. But I thought you might enjoy some little excerpts from my book, including a few funny goofs, and just nice descriptions that I thought to add.<br />
<br />
Nice description #1:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">When they left the tower, Gabby was
surprised at the quiet of the streets. The farmers’ stalls had all been packed
up and moved away, and the crowd had dwindled to a few lonesome watchmen,
staring off into the darkness and looking for intruders that would never come.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As the small group passed by one of
them, Gabby snuck a peek at him. He wasn’t much older than Rayand, if at all,
and he seemed practically dead on his feet. His eyelids fluttered drowsily as
he leaned against the wall of a ramshackle shop, but he managed to clumsily
wave them on before slumping down into a deep slumber. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I wonder if the Lightstone guard felt the same way as him,</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> she
thought. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Maybe he got assigned to a night
shift and could barely keep his eyes open.</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The walk back to the tavern seemed
to glide by senselessly as the stars began, one by one, to pierce through the
smothering tapestry of the night sky. Houses, shops, and important city
buildings all seemed to pass them by, one after another in a monotonous circle.
Gabby’s eyelids began to droop. It was so pleasantly cool and breezy…so dark
and peaceful…</span><o:p style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </o:p><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">A slow, quiet murmur seemed to
float in on the nighttime air from far ahead, slowly growing into a loud rumble
of song, laughter, and loud banter. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Oh,
no. Not the Sword and Flagon already. Here I was, just beginning to relax.</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Under Alcasor’s lead, the party of
three rounded a corner and burst into a patch of dappled light. The blazing
lantern from the table sent out warm rays of light through the grimy window,
piercing and stinging Gabby’s darkness-adjusted eyes.</span></blockquote>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I liked that one. I was metaphorical without seeming cheesy. Score! Two points for me!</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Aaaaaand a funny goof for you, since I know you probably want a laugh. So, I was editing a scene in which my main character can't sleep, so she goes out to a garden for a walk. I was making some edits and cutting a few passages, and a few of the paragraphs came out like this:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Ugh.
Now my entire room smells. </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She slammed the window shut. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I think I need a nice walk to clear my head.
Maybe after that I can get a few more hours of sleep.</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Directly outside, there was a
little walled garden. The ground was covered in a soft blanket of lush green
grass, and webbed with gravel pathways. Vibrantly colored flowerbeds were
interspersed along with stone benches, and there was a fountain in the very
middle. Someone must have left it on, and streams of water spurted from the
shell designs on it, splashing into a pool in the bottom and distorting the
once-clear reflection of the crescent moon above.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Gabby took a seat on
one of the benches.</span></blockquote>
Basically...Gabby wants a walk to clear her head. She's in a stuffy room on the upper floor of a tavern. Then I suddenly start describing a random garden outside, and apparently she teleported there while I wasn't looking. Yep. I accidentally cut the part where she walks down the stairs and out the door. >.<<br />
<br />
I added it back in, and now here's the same part of the story again.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Ugh.
Now my entire room smells. </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She slammed the window shut. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I think I need a nice walk to clear my head.
Maybe after that I can get a few more hours of sleep.</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Gabby clambered over her bed and
slipped on her sandals. She quietly pulled the door to the hallway open and
looked around. The tavern noise had subdued into a quiet murmur of activity,
the most rambunctious revelers having staggered home to bed. She didn’t want to
wake Rayand or Alcasor, so she stepped quietly past their rooms to the end of
the hallway she hadn’t explored.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">It plunged steeply downward in a
narrow staircase which led to a small back door. She hesitated only a moment
before climbing down to it. Her footsteps creaked on the old wooden steps, but
she didn’t hear the sounds of stirring from the upstairs rooms. She pushed the
door open and stepped outside into a little walled garden.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The ground was covered in a soft
blanket of lush green grass, decorated with a spider web of small gravel pathways.
Vibrantly colored flowerbeds and stone benches were interspersed along the web
like dewdrops in the morning, and there was a fountain in the very middle, like
the web’s beautiful crowning glory. Although it appeared to be broken, tiny
droplets of water trickled out of the shell designs on the fountain’s center
column. They fell into the partially full basin and created ripples stretching
slowly outward in perfect circles, making the image of the brilliant stars
above contort and realign with an unearthly sparkle.</span> </blockquote>
Isn't that so much nicer? The one downside to it? Gabby no longer has epic teleportation powers. :(<br />
<br />
I think I should probably stop this post here because who knows how long it would be otherwise? Anyway, editing is going well.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-23130648518579543002013-06-29T13:59:00.001-04:002013-06-29T14:00:27.883-04:00A Last-Minute DecisionI've been falling behind on my editing lately...I'm losing motivation...I'm not so sure I'm going to finish editing this summer...so I've decided to do Camp NaNo as a rebel!<br />
<br />
My word goal is 13,000 - 250 words (my minimum) for each scene I have left to do. After I finish a scene, I will add 250 words to my counter thing, regardless of how many I actually added. Should be fun! I think I'll do it faster if I have a cabin to cheer me on (and that I'll try not to fail in front of.) Even though I'm going away to <i>real</i> summer camp for a week, I'm pretty sure I can do it.<br />
<br />
This should be fun!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-36888349257740379132013-06-16T21:06:00.000-04:002013-06-16T21:06:08.976-04:00I've Created a Doppelganger (Unintentionally)This post concerns Peregrine, my favorite character that I wrote. He's a hilarious, short, naive wizard apprentice who always is getting into trouble.<br />
<br />
His name sort of came out of my head one day, and it immediately stuck. It sounded a bit familiar but I didn't dwell on it. It just seemed like the perfect name for him.<br />
<br />
Earlier this evening, I was watching the Fellowship of the Ring. Anyway, you know the four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry? Turns out Pippin is short for Peregrine. *groan* At first I felt like a copycat. Especially considering that the hobbit is awfully like the apprentice, personality-wise!<br />
<br />
I'm unsure whether this is a problem or not. I wasn't intending to steal the name. Just like I would never name a wizard Gandalf or Dumbledore, I wouldn't have named this character Peregrine had I remembered this hobbit shared the name. Besides, if it is a problem, it's too late to change it now. Peregrine has been Peregrine in my mind for over six months now, and his name is a part of him.<br />
<br />
Lord of the Rings is a classic. Maybe I should just consider it a tribute to the best fantasy novels in the whole world, like a subtle reference for those who catch it, and leave it at that. What do you think?<br />
<br />
(By the way, I'm leaving on a week-long vacation in three days. Don't expect any blog posts during that time.)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-45758716470078249442013-06-11T09:07:00.001-04:002013-06-11T09:10:28.560-04:00I Briefly Return from Editing-LandHi. I haven't posted in a while. I'd love to say that I've been busy editing, but...I'm not even done with the third chapter yet. -.- It's slow business. However, I'm happy to say that instead of adding 250 words a scene, I'm now usually adding at least 500 and sometimes even doubling the 750 word length of a scene! :D If I keep up at this rate, my novel will come out at...<br />
Wait for it...<br />
<i>Wait for it...</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
80,000 words! :D Hooray!<br />
Also, adding more thoughts just makes my characters come to life. Gabby, one of my main characters, used to be quite flat. I'd thought of a personality for her...sort of...but it never quite made it to the page. Now, it's evident that she has two sides: one that wants to say anything that comes into her head, and another that tries to restrain her words with creative imaginings. It's more interesting.<br />
<br />
I'm also working on renaming the rest of the books in the series. None of them really feel right except Legends of Light. Last night, it hit me for book #2: Ice Quest. :) I have a feeling that the name is now perfect, not to mention not taken. <i>If</i> these books ever get published, I don't want them getting confused with other fantasy novels. There's nothing similar to Ice Quest, and for Legends of Light the closest title is Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio. Somehow, I don't think the two will get confused at all. I'll see you around soon! (Hopefully before I go on vacation.)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-6432483213384920042013-06-03T09:48:00.000-04:002013-06-03T09:48:04.088-04:00My First Edited Scene: Transformation and a TeaserI just finished editing the hook and first scene of Legends of Light. The verdict? I loved it! I have a way better hook now, and it came out great! The first few sentences went from this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Crack! </i>A twig snapped under the black-robed man's feet as he stepped through the dense thicket of pine trees. As distasteful as it was, especially for royalty, it had to be traversed for the common good of the population.</blockquote>
To this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
All was quiet as the black-robed man silently flitted through the woods. To most, he was a mysterious enigma. Nobody knew who he was, but he was a man on a mission, and an urgent one, at that.</blockquote>
Doesn't that make you more interested? Now that the scene is done, it looks completely transformed. My prediction that it would come out looking like a complete rewrite seems to be fairly accurate. Since it's done, I've decided to give you the whole scene as a teaser. It ends in a cliffhanger. You have been warned.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
All was quiet as the black-robed
man silently flitted through the woods. To most, he was a mysterious enigma.
Nobody knew who he was, but he was a man on a mission, and an urgent one, at
that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Upon reaching a small clearing, he
halted and drew a beautifully engraved sword, holding his breath and peering
through the dark thicket. To his satisfaction, there was nothing there but
softly rustling pine branches and ghostly moving shadows. He let out a long,
slow sigh of relief, sheathed it once more, and strode toward the clearing’s
center. As dawn began creeping over the wispy clouds on the horizon, he checked
his watch. Although definitely a strange contraption, it often came in handy. Apparently those naïve earth-dwellers were
good for some things. <i>Six o’clock in the
morning, </i>he thought with a smile. <i>Perfect.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Audite in alio seculo magistrum,”
he whispered. The foreign words seemed to hang in the air like a magical
incantation. After nervously glancing at his watch once more, he gritted his
teeth and began to pace. <i>How much longer
will this take? </i>He glanced around, relieved that it was still mostly dark. <i>I can’t wait forever. Soon, people will
arrive, and I can’t risk discovery. </i>Finally, he saw a flash of red light
against a pine tree and turned around, sighing with relief. At the exact center
of the clearing, a flickering window of blood-red light hung suspended in the
air. He stared at it, once again enraptured by his recently acquired ability.
The glowing crimson tendrils spiraled within the rectangular vortex,
hypnotizing, beckoning. Although the portal window was the perfect size to jump
through, he knew that to do so meant instant death. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The man was jolted out of his
trance by a thundering voice, emanating out from the portal and echoing off the
trees. “Back so soon, my accomplice?” He winced. Still under his black cloak
and veiled in secrecy, talking so loudly would mean this little project would
come to a screeching halt. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Ssssh!” he whispered, furtively
casting another glance around the surrounding pine trees. <i>Is anyone coming? </i>“Talk a little more quietly, please. We don’t
want anyone else to overhear our discussion.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“I was wondering why you had
returned so soon. You just told me yesterday that nothing of much importance
was happening.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“That was before we launched
another sprite.” He fumbled in his leather pouch, his fingers searching for
something small and elusive. <i>Those
blasted little blighters never seem to cooperate.</i> “The girl is getting
suspicious. Our next launch will likely tip her over to our side. She may be
unsuspecting for now, but she’s not an idiot.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Excellent. So you came here asking
for permission to send one more and finish what we’ve begun.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Well…yes.” The black-cloaked
stranger shivered. The fact that his accomplice always seemed to know what he
was thinking was unsettling, to say the least. He wondered if his friend in the
other realm had powers he had yet to reveal. Then, he shook off the idea with a
silent laugh. Of course, they weren’t hiding anything from each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“According to your updates, you
sent a sprite out only yesterday.” The being beyond the portal spoke again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“That is correct.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Hmm…” The voice on the window’s
other side seemed lost in thought. “Normally, that would be exceedingly hasty,
but since she’s so close…Yes, I suppose it could be a good idea, just this
once. The stakes will become so high that she’ll have to be insane to refuse
our offer.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Exactly. There won’t be much room
for error, though.” He finally found what he was looking for in his bag, and
triumphantly pulled out the little wicker cage. Inside, a tiny golden winged
figure – a sprite – was trapped. Drawing it close to his face, he whispered,
“Just do exactly what we planned. Try not to have too much fun out there.”
Springing the latch, he opened the tiny door, and the little sprite zoomed away
with a cackle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“What did you say?” said the voice
behind the window.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“I was only repeating the plan to
the sprite. I think we caught a good one this time. It didn’t make any fuss in
my bag, although it did put up a good fight before I could catch it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Excellent. Soon, our opportunity
will be at hand.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The man stooped and plucked a small
white flower, twirling it between his fingertips. “But there may be a problem.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The voice was silent for a minute.
Then, it spoke again, this time quietly. “Go on.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“There may be one of Rynveros’s
spies posing at the school as well. If he manages to convince the girl to his
side, all would be lost and we would have to start our search all over again.”
He stroked the delicate, colorless petals, thinking about his plan and what the
girl could mean for it. <i>She was a lucky
find, </i>he thought. <i>She has no idea
that she could change a world.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Perhaps not. If the girls in our
home world are any indication, it is possible that we could still force her to
join us. I find that most of them love their family and friends very much. If
gentle persuasion does not work, a well-placed threat can work wonders.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The man’s shadowed face betrayed no
emotion, although he mentally winced. He didn’t want to do anything that might
give the girl any doubt of his benevolence. “I’d rather we don’t threaten her.
I want her to trust us.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“All right, then. You know what to
do instead.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Yes. She would be quite dangerous
used against us.” He closed his fist, crushing the blossom’s delicate petals. “It
would be better off if she was out of our way forever, in that case. If she
won’t join us, I will ensure that she is killed.”</div>
</blockquote>
Dun dun dun!! Like it? If you read all that, here's a little treat: a graphic I made. <a href="http://i.imgur.com/UU2gVnO.png" target="_blank">Click for craziness!</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-82008935773448479132013-06-02T13:57:00.002-04:002013-06-02T13:57:51.232-04:00The Editing Slog Begins!It's June and over 90 degrees. I'm getting cooked nicely. -.- Hot temperatures aside, I'm off of WD (Wardiloth's Dragons) break now and it's time to begin Legends of Light editing month #1. Whoopdedoo. *sigh* Somehow, I don't think I'm going to like editing.<br />
<br />
By the way - about that blurb? You know, the one I said I was going to do more than a month ago? That's not going to happen until <i>after</i> I finish editing. I'm going to be making a ton of changes, and it'll probably come out looking like a complete rewrite. More thoughts, more description, less blather. Who knows? Another subplot might even weave its way into the story! I've heard tell of that happening in additional drafts. I'm also hoping to add way more words in the process. I have a sneaking suspicion that this book will look quite different once I'm through with it, so I should probably wait on the blurb.<br />
<br />
But I'm not going to just sit down and begin making changes without a clue. Oh, no! I have a strategic plan! :) (I think I'll need it.) I hope to make two to three editing passes.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Add a whole ton of thoughts and description plus any other surprises, and cut dialogue rambles.</li>
<li>Optional: make a second pass for cuts or more additions.</li>
<li>Fix grammar issues and typos.</li>
</ol>
Should be fun! (Not.) Well, wish me luck! (By the way, is treehouse one word or two?)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-20347724230493113732013-05-28T21:03:00.002-04:002013-05-28T21:03:10.231-04:00The Greatest Treasure Chapter SevenThe seventh chapter of my Wizard101 fanfiction is finished. Click the tab to read it! I hope you enjoy. :)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-16732698058396108372013-05-28T16:56:00.002-04:002013-05-28T16:56:25.336-04:00Blog Update NotesHi. *awkward silence*<br />
<br />
I made a lot of changes to the blog today! Here's a list of them, using my favorite bullets.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Switched the blog over to a new account (Sophia-Rose)</li>
<li>Changed "About Me in a Nutshell" to be my blogger profile</li>
<li>Changed the About Me page to include my...erm...new situation with my other blog</li>
<li>Changed the About Me page's top 10. (I forgot to include that I'm left-handed!)</li>
<li>Added the "Taggy Thingies" widget and labels to all my posts</li>
<li>Links will now show up in a different color from normal text. Hooray!</li>
<li>The "Links Warning" widget has been removed.</li>
<li>A few widgets have been moved around.</li>
<li>The blog's description has been changed.</li>
</ul>
I also attempted to add a banner, but when I uploaded it, it looked like this:<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCCbmnoEzDrn2fL00WKWPP3eI7rYh6X3McBUqj3RV0IXowXQeu1pdQm0kc6E3duQkMF-0F45IRMXpGx4lWa27uegMRjYwownYpltVMZ92JuD51M4b59Y3LH9PY-RSIryyv6GAVptDrJg/s1600/banner+trouble.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCCbmnoEzDrn2fL00WKWPP3eI7rYh6X3McBUqj3RV0IXowXQeu1pdQm0kc6E3duQkMF-0F45IRMXpGx4lWa27uegMRjYwownYpltVMZ92JuD51M4b59Y3LH9PY-RSIryyv6GAVptDrJg/s320/banner+trouble.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ack!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I didn't want to make you suffer through that, but does anyone know how to fix that? I'd appreciate it.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Sophia-Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719793786029951900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-84098030213975533862013-04-24T15:49:00.002-04:002013-05-28T16:43:29.150-04:00Day 24 ~ VictoryYou might have been wondering why I haven't been blogging much recently? Reason A: I've been horribly busy. Reason B: I've been writing a lot. So, yeah. I finished the book and won at the same time. :D I'll be able to validate it tomorrow. Final word count? 50,093. I'm honestly relieved that I got it over 50k, and I'll be able to beef it up a little when I edit. I don't have much description at all, it's mostly raw dialogue and action. I had hoped to pull off an early win, and I did. First NaNo? Check.<br />
<br />
I'm going to give Legends of Light a long rest. I'll return to it in June. Sadly, July will be really busy so I can't do a NaNo then, but I'll probably still have time to edit LoL.<br />
<br />
So, I'd say I'm pretty happy right now. My one little pet peeve? I achieved my word count goal, but my arrow isn't in the middle of my profile target. Just take a look at it if you want, you'll see what I mean.<br />
<br />
This means that there won't be many posts on this blog for a while. I'll probably make a new blurb, and maybe give occasional updates on the editing, but that'll be it. I'll see you...later, I guess. And on the other blog.<br />
<br />
Happy writing!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-73313602428079478032013-04-21T20:23:00.000-04:002013-05-28T16:42:43.575-04:00Day 21 ~ DerailI took a break yesterday. To be fair, I needed it. I wrote more today, but I'm not satisfied. Why? Well, to reach today's goal, I had to write five scenes. The first four went fine. When I reached the fifth, my day derailed. Why? I was supposed to get 750 words out of an ambush scene where the fight doesn't even begin yet. Here's the catch: If I'm even one little word short, my story will end before 50k. Ugh. So, I put it off until tomorrow. Yeah, I should stop doing that, but I have a good lead. Anyway, highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Writing wasn't much fun, but...I found my perfect noveling music! It's actually a theme from Wizard101, and it suits Wardiloth perfectly. Really. It's perfect. Here it is:<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-A4BBH0LU" target="_blank">Avalon glorious theme</a></i>.</li>
</ul>
Well...all the scenes include spoilers, since I'm really, really close to the climax. Sorry. (These posts just seem to get shorter, don't they? Sad.)<br />
<br />
Happy writing!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-62649821268257121052013-04-19T21:54:00.000-04:002013-05-28T16:42:32.083-04:00Day 19 ~ TroubleSo, yesterday one of my highlights was that I killed a major character. That was at the very - I mean VERY - end of yesterday's writing, so today I opened with elaborating a little. And there lies my problem. I began to feel horribly guilty. Can't tell you why, but it really made it hard to write. It wasn't a hard decision to kill him, either. I had to do it to move the story forward. But I did have some highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Wrote ANOTHER whole chapter</li>
<li>Went over 40,000 words :D</li>
<li>My characters have finally escaped from their prison</li>
<li>I developed a lot of characters</li>
<li>I actually managed to write decent action scenes</li>
<li>I ended on another great cliffhanger. Dun dun dun!!</li>
</ul>
It's pretty late right now, so I'm going to end this here. Sorry for the short-ish post. If I keep up at this rate, I'm slated to finish on the 22nd. :)<br />
<br />
Happy writing!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835144140852822859.post-53151248416630547622013-04-18T19:17:00.000-04:002013-05-28T16:42:12.956-04:00Day 18 ~ DullnessToday had a great start. I got inside the head of my favorite character, whose point of view I don't usually do, and had fun with it. Then, my day just...derailed. Writing got boring. I don't know why, but I pushed through. Highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Wrote mostly hilarious scenes</li>
<li>Wrote another whole chapter</li>
<li>Killed a character (gasp!)</li>
</ul>
Yep, I killed a major character. However, I won't use it as an excerpt because I don't want to share which one I killed. Instead, here's a funny excerpt:<br />
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<i>Alcasor sighed and shook his head. 'Peregrine, Peregrine,' he said. 'What am I going to do with you?'<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Peregrine turned his grimace into a grin. 'I don’t know.
Maybe take me on more adventures after this?'<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Alcasor didn’t seem to think it was funny. He frowned at
Peregrine. '</i><i>This is not a laughing matter!' he hissed, lowering his voice and
nervously glancing around. 'We could all be killed, and you got us into it! I
expect you to be quiet and cooperative while we try to get you out!'</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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That isn't the best part of it, but it's the best one I could find without spoilers.</div>
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Happy writing!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>~ Sophia-Rose</i></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0