Trivialities

So I swore up and down that I would never replace books with electronics.

And that's mostly true.

It's just this Kindle is so dang convenient. I got it early (by three days!) and it goes everywhere with me. I have everything that I could dream of needing. I can get "Pride and Prejudice" for free off Amazon, I can check out books online from my library and I can get on the Internet. Though please, don't get it for the Internet. The only reason that I can stand how slow that connection is, is because I wasn't expecting Internet connection. For most practical purposes it stinks. But for fun, it's fine (I mean I can't even listen to Pandora on it. No soundtrack, no cigar).

Yes but keep in mind I have a Generation 2. Not the Kindle Fire. Which I have every intention of buying...when I am independently wealthy.

~Shaylanne

P.S. I'm Skyping my best friend after work today. Soo excited!!!!

Book Review 1

Hey Everybody! Ok so this is no kidding probably my favorite book in the whole entire world. And honestly as a wannabe writer this book scares me like nothing else. I have read it over ten times, and out loud to my siblings twice. This book is the wittiest book I have ever read. There are some books that you can sit there and go "yeah then he kills this guy, then he goes out with this girl but she's not the one" etc, fill in the blank, you know the predictable stuff. But if you can do that with this book I'd be very much surprised.


As an author I think that the difficulty in writing is coming up with something that will pull you back again and again, this book does that. I read it and I want to be like that when I write. If you need an author to go after look to Mrs. Turner here. And no kidding cross my heart and hope to never write again, you will find something new in this book every flippin time you read it. But anyway here is the back cover description:



"Gen is released from prison by the magus, the king's scholar. The magus finds Gen filthy, uncouth, and insolent, but he needs Gen’s skills as a thief. Without telling Gen where they are going, he takes him out of the city. They are joined by the magus’s two apprentices, Sophos and Ambiades, and by Pol, a soldier.

The journey is dangerous, and the travelers grate on each others’ nerves. None of the main characters are exactly what they seem to be. By the end of the book, secrets are revealed, relationships adjusted, and respect between the travelers is lost and won."

Actually this is Wikipedias description of the book and its a decent synopsis. But believe me, you will come away from reading this book with a greater desire to work harder on your writing. There are in addition to this book, three more in this series. So I will try and get a up for all of them soon!

~Shaylanne

What are some of your favorite books? Give me a reason to not do my homework! ;)

Weekly Writing

Quote for the day:

Scratching is nine-tenths of the itch.

- Leopold De Lune 


My writing prompt for last week ended up being really long. I think I only did about 2,000 words, but that is apparently a lot. But anyway check out my writing prompt "Calling" in The Vault.


Today's writing prompt:

goodlifeeats.com

Okay, so at it being ninety degrees ice cream is what immediately came to mind.  And all you have to do with your story is mention ice cream. Preferably chocolate covered, but that's only if you want brownie points. Again you have a 5,000 word count limit.

When you're done, post it on your blog and send me the link! At this point there are no prizes :( but I'd like to see what you guys come up with. All entries must be posted in the comments section by noon Friday. I will then post my prompt and the links from everyone else who submitted their stories.

Remember, for rules about content go to The Study for more details.

~Shaylanne

College Commentary

Another semester starts next week and this time I have taken step to be prepared! Will I be behind, always finishing my assignments last minute and at a low level of achievement? No! Will I be up late doing homework that I should have done a week ago? No! Will I be working three jobs and reading on my Kindle? Yeeesss. I might have to edit the whole Kindle part...that might be too distracting. But then again I'll be reading textbooks, and various other stories that might find their way through the world of cyberspace into the memory if my treasured device.

I haven't even gotten it yet.

The kindle I mean.

And I'm pumped.

(If you can't tell)

But this is supposed to be a College Commentary, not a promotion for the Kindle. So here it goes.

Since this is a getting back to college post I'll talk a little bit about what you should do to get ready.

First after you've planned your classes sit down and look at your schedule. It's pretty full isn't it? So that means you have two choices:

1. Do whatever you want and accept the fact that whatever goofing off you do now affects the amount you pay in interest for college loans. or 2. Schedule your time so that you can have fun and still get good grades/keep your job.

So if you're me, that means you prioritize. I have three jobs; I house clean, I package food products, and I am a librarian. Add five online classes to that and you wonder what kind of life I have.

So the priority: first school, second work, third writing, fun time.

Yeah I did put writing at third, not at first. Here is my rationale: You learn so you can get a job so you don't starve so you live long enough to write a book. It also lets you get a good job with decent hours. Then second you get a job so you can go to school so you can get a job so you don't starve so you live long enough to write a book. Then you arrive at three, you write the book where you learn so you can get a job so you don't starve so you live long enough to write a book. Which lets you get a good job with decent hours. Then second you get a job so you can go to school so you can get a job so you don't starve so you live long enough to write a book...

See how that works? Really as I think about it, it all becomes one thing. Because while we should write because we love it, ideally it should start to bring a little bit of money in.

~Shaylanne

Questions, comments, concerns, or college stories can be sent to shaylanne1@gmail.com. These stories must meet the guidelines for the "writing prompt" rules which can be found on The Study page. 

Weekly Writing

Quote for the Day:

The most important thing to learn, is that you must unlearn.

~ Mam Dalsamon

I have been watching creative writing classes taught by Brandon Sanderson (author of Elantris) and thought I'd start to share some of the tips that I've learned from him.

Tip for the Week:

Writers write. Like everything else, becoming a good writer takes practice, so take every opportunity that you can get to write. Don't allow yourself to be that person who only writes when they feel like it. Believe it or not, readers can't tell the difference between our brilliant moments and the times when we had to slog through and make the puzzle pieces fit together.  

So based on that I have decided to post a writing prompt every Monday. I hope that this helps you all keep writing, even on those days you really don't feel it happening.

So, today's prompt:

 

Photo from www.danheller.com

Tell me a story about this picture. Do whatever you like, the only requirements being that it is in the picture's setting, and there must be something different about the water. It can be a magical river, it can be soapy, it can be bug infested...be creative! All that I ask is that this water play a role in the plot line. You have a 5,000-6,000 word count max/limit.

When you're done, post it on your blog and send me the link! At this point there are no prizes :( but I'd like to see what you guys come up with. All entries must be posted in the comments section by noon Friday. I will then post my prompt and the links from everyone else who submitted their stories.

Anyone is allowed to submit their story, but I am looking for G to light PG-13 stories. I will have a list of guidelines posted in The Study page, so you know what I won't post. If you have a question about your story send it to me at shaylanne1@gmail.com with the subject "writing prompt". I will try to get back to you within 24 hours. If you don't hear from me by Friday morning, use your best judgement as to whether or not you should post the story.

I'm so excited to get this kicked off guys!

Happy writing!

~Shaylanne

Remember that prompts are due by Friday at noon. Again, if you have any questions, just shoot me an e-mail at shaylanne1@gmail.com

The Sherlock Holmes Complex

So I have always found music to be very inspiring when I write, and I have always believed that the mood of the scene that I'm working on is affected by the feel of the song that I am listening to. And now I am going through a Sherlock Holmes phase. I hadn't seen the movie, but my Pandora station started to play the background music and I was hooked. It was just so different.

fanpop.com

Needless to say I went and watched the movie. But now all of my characters have either a Sherlock Holmes or Watson feel. And while I love these two characters (don't get me wrong), I really need my K'mar to be self-absorbed in a rather oblivious and charming way, not pot-enhanced and arrogant like Holmes, and Watson is much too sensible to be a prototype for Nolan. So maybe I should go back to listening to "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings".

weasleyisourking.com

themoviedb.org

I can easily avoid writing about rings and quidditch.

(Did I ever tell you that K'mar was a redhead?) 

~Shaylanne

Is there a particular thing that inspires your muse? If so I'd love to hear about it!

P.S I grew up on Sherlock Holmes (the books), and a third movie might come out. So you will hear about this again. 

...

and no that is not a threat.

...

it is simply a statement of fact. 

...

you'll just have to live with it.

A move into the future

I don't have much to say tonight (as many of you can see, it is rather late), but I felt inclined to make a couple of observations:

It's late and I have to work tomorrow.
I have a story that's begging to come out.
And the new semester is starting.
And I have to start exercising again.

But I'm okay with all of that.

Because I have been given a place to start my research for my story! I was at my Grandpa's house during break and he introduced me to a series about the Byzantine empire. Since I was raised in a Republic, the whole court life and political maneuverings don't come easily to me. And my world doesn't really resemble America...at all. So naturally I was super glad when he told me about these books and I can't wait to get my hands on them!

It seems a little old looking, but I am really excited! There is so much that I want to put into this story, but lack of info has really hampered me.

I only need to avoid the trap of doing everything except writing the story, yes?



~ Shaylanne

What research do you guys do when you're prepping for your stories?