Halloween Hop!

Hello all!  Here is my post for Jeremy's Halloween bloghop.


1) Add your blog to the list below.
2) Over the Halloween weekend (October 28-31) visit as many of the other blogs listed below as you wish.
3) Be sure to mention your favorite monster movie or book and your Halloween costume this year.
4) If you like the blog, follow it!
5) Grab the badge here and stick it on your blog for a few weeks to spread the word! (If you scratch it, it smells like pumpkin).


Hmm... my favorite Halloween/monster book or movie?  
The Nightmare Before Christmas... That counts, right?

And my costume this year?

I'm going as a Who from Whoville.  

I'm going to the Halloween carnival for my elementary school in a few hours.  I'm excited-- it should be really fun, as four of my friends are coming with me, and I'll see other friends I haven't seen for a while as they go to different schools.


The Dandy Lioness

Tamora Pierce, Movies, and NaNoWriMo Lost It's Pants?

Hello all!

Thank you to all the lovely commenters and followers on my Casting Call Bloghop post (follow the link, or it's below, if you're looking for it!).  I appreciate all of you.

My friend E and I filmed our TV Production movie today.  The basis for this project is "sad story... if you bring a tear to my eye, you get an A".  Four of my friends came over after school today, as it was an early dismissal, and E and I used them in our movie.  We had a blast filming it, and Luna Lovegood, I wish you could have come-- you mom called me back when we were in the grocery store on the way home.

Now, I have to leave for gymnastics in half an hour, and I'm squeezing a blog post into this limited time.

Did anyone else freak our when NaNoWriMo lost its pants (style sheet for all you techies) last night?  I freaked out, and thought my internet had gone haywire.  But then I hopped back onto the forums and found the post in the bugs forum and posted my complaints there.  And as for more complaints-- Blogger, why are you killing the internet today/last night????  I've used ctrl. alt. delete more times in the last 24 hours than I have in the last month.  Grrrr.

In book news, is anyone else totally psyched that Masiff by Tamora Pierce came out yesterday?  And seriously-- look at what a beautiful cover it has.  I cannot wait to get my copy from the library.  And yes, I am a shameless Tamora Pierce fan.  They are some of my favorite books-- ever.

Sorry for the rambling post-- I don't have anything specific to post about today.  Eagle, I applaud you for participating in NaBloWriMo-- I don't think I could win.  Now, I'm off to get ready for gymnastics and read my book.

The Dandy Lioness


P.S.  Does anyone else ever accidentally post their post without giving it a title?  Because I do that like, 50% of the time.  /Fail.

Casting Call Bloghop

Hello!  Here is my Casting Call bloghop post!  It's hosted by Carrie, Melodie, and Lisa, and you have to represent your story or characters in some sort of visual way.  So, here I go.

Meet Princess Ryeland, or Ria as she is known in the circus.

{Via}

I chose this picture for Ria because she is leading a masquerade.  Though in truth she's a princess, she is pretending to be someone she's not.  So here's a photo of her with a mask.

Name:  Princess Ryeland/Ria

Age:  Fifteen

Height:  5'4"

Profession:  Princess/Circus worker (I don't know what she will actually be in the circus yet.  Acrobat, maybe?)

Project she's a part of:  NaNoWriMo '11

The Dandy Lioness

NaNoWriMo, Sevenly, and Ramblings

Eep!  I got my Let Kenya Rise t-shirt from Sevenly yesterday!  It is sooo beautiful, and they did a great job on it.  It's kind of big-- but I got the smallest size, so what can you do.  And if I wear it with a tank-top it'll be fine.  The charcoal color (that's the one I ordered) is grayer in real life than on the computer-- it looked more brown-- but it's fine, and was probably just my monitor   In fact, I think I like the charcoal better than I liked the brownish color I saw on screen.  All in all, a great shirt.

My parents are going to clean out my grandfather's townhouse today.  I don't know if I'm going to go or not.  My mom said they wouldn't make me go-- probably because she took me with her on the day my grandfather died to get all the paperwork figured out.  So I don't know what I'm going to do today.  I should probably start by taking a shower and working on my map for geography...

And I convinced my friend to do NaNo with me!  I'm super excited.  T, we'll have to get together and have some sort of writing-day in November.  And eeek, I need to figure out the rest of my plot.  And characters.  The Reference Desk forum at NaNo is being sooo helpful with the types of people in the circus/etc.  And if any of you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

So, this is where I leave you.  (YAY for Firenze!)

The Dandy Lioness

Beautiful People: NaNoWriMo Edition

{Beautiful People is hosted by Sky and Georgie}

This is my first Beautiful People post, but I am ready to give it a try.  So, let us begin.

1.  Sum up your novel in five words or less
Circus.  Runaway princess.  Crazy people.

2.  Novel title?
Dr. Blank's Traveling Circus for Talented Misfits (working title...)

3.  Sum up your main character(s) in one word.
Ryeland/Ria-
Independent
Hugo-
Loving?  I don't know...  I don't know much about Hugo yet.
I would talk about Dr. Blank, but I don't know enough about him yet.

4.  Advice for newbies in three words.
Write.  Don't procrastinate.

5.  Tell us about your secondary characters, how do they affect the story?
I'd say they're pretty important.  They're all circus people, and Hugo's adopted family.  Ryeland/Ria fits right in with them, and they become her adopted family too.

6.  Do you plan on staying up until midnight on the 31st?
I would, but I have school the next day.  So I'll probably take my notebook to school and start it in there.

7.  How many years have you done NaNo?
I did it last year, so this will be my second year.

8.  What came first, characters or plot-idea?
Plot idea, definitely.  Well... title.  Which gave me the plot-idea.  My characters just kind of appeared out of that.

9.  How much prep do you do before NaNo?
Just a basic sketch of a plot (a.k.a. run away princess, circus people, boy abandoned at circus) and characters.  Really detailed plot-sketches don't work for me.

10.  Now be honest, how do you feel about NaNo?
I think it's a great opportunity to really get dedicated and take time out of our busy schedules to write, and get a chance to get those stories down on paper that we might not otherwise.  I can't wait for NaNo-- I have circus people clamoring in my head, determined to be heard, and I don't want to deny them that opportunity.

The Dandy Lioness

The Promised Rain Is Coming

Hello!  I've been rather MIA in the last few days-- sorry about that.

I came up with a NaNo idea however, and I'm hoping I'll be able to do lots of fun stuff with it.  I've spent lots of time on Pinterest, trying to come up with character ideas etc.

Yesterday I got my dance jacket (it has my dance school logo on the back, and it's name) and it's black and white and has my name on it (and it's not a pullover, which is nice, as I prefer zipped jackets.)  I don't really know what to talk about.  It's just kind of... bleh.

I'm looking out the window at a little boy and his parents playing in my neighbor's leaves.  It's very cute.  The little boy is just so happy to be playing with those leaves.  But looking out my window is awkward, because I have to crane my neck and look down and over the couch, and it's sort of like it's taking extra effort, and if the person outside saw you, they would know you were watching them.  Oh.  They're gone now.

The promised rain is coming.  You can tell.  As I was walking home from school today, a light, misting drizzle came and settled over the neighbor hood like a blanket.  And I knew.  The promised rain is coming.  Maybe even arrived.  Fall here is wet, and cold.  But I love it.  The leaves are falling, the coats are coming out, and jeans and boots are back in style.  I know in a few weeks I'll be complaining about the cold, and by winter, I'll be reminiscing about spring, and wondering how I could possibly be happy about fall.  But for now, I'm happy.  NaNoWriMo's just around the corner, and so is Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The holiday season is descending upon us, and it makes me smile.  The weekend after Thanksgiving (as in, two days/one day, whatever, after Thanksgiving) I'll be heading to my friend's cabin for the weekend, and I'm hoping to get a chance to work on my NaNo there...  And we're getting our Christmas tree, and just hanging out.  I think this will be the fifth year we've done this.  Give or take a couple years.

Oh!  What are you guys being for Halloween?  I'm being a Who.  From Whoville.  And Luna Lovegood/PurpleWolf, you can't answer this.  I know you're being Wendy.  I'm totally going to stick out when I'm trick-or-treating with our friends.  I'll be the only non-Peter-Pan themed person.  Go Dr. Seuss!  But to anyone else-- what are you being?

Writer's Block

Recently I haven't been feeling very "write-y".  Or creative.  Just sort of... blah.  My mind isn't racing.  It's weird.  I think I have Writer's Block.  It makes me sad.  And NaNoWriMo is just around the corner... WHAT SHALL I DO?????  Ah hem.  Mini freak out.

I just haven't been feeling very inspired.  I have several airship books checked out for my possible Steampunk NaNo idea, but I don't know if that's what I want to do.  I haven't written more than a thousand words on my current WIP in over a week-- though yesterday I wrote about 600 words, which is the most I've written recently.  Basically, I'm freaking out.

Also, what do I do if I don't have an idea for NaNo?  I mean, I have several-- but none seem quite interesting enough.  Then again, mine last year didn't either.  Still.  Bleh.  Okay.  This is short, but I'm posting it.

Writer's block makes me unhapppy!  Anyone got any good tips on making it go away?

The Dandy Lioness

Blog Action Day 2011

Today, I'm posting about Blog Action Day 2011.

Kind of tying this post together with my Sevenly post yesterday, Blog Action Day 2011 is about food.  Yesterday, in my Sevenly post, I talked about how I had bought a Let Kenya Rise tee from Sevenly. The Let Kenya Rise t-shirts, donate $7 of your purchase to people in Kenya so they can eat, and have farming seed.  I am glad to have, even with just $7, have contributed ever so slightly.  But right now, I'm going to talk about my strangest food experiences.

Funnily enough, most of them happened in France.  There was the escargot dare-- yes, I did eat escargot.  Then there was the rabbit, and pigeon.  When I first tried those, I didn't know what they were, I promise you.  They only told me later.  But when I went back to France, over the summer, I did end up eating both rabbit, and pigeon, voluntarily.  Also, lots of sausage, due to the fact that Polish relatives were staying with our friends the last week we were.

I've grown up to be a bit of a food snob.  My sister and parents all enjoy cooking, and interesting food-- so I grew up with all sorts of different cultures of food.  Thai, Indian, Mexican, French, Italian, seafood of well... most types, we can have all of these in a month.  I especially like pad Thai.  I always have.  For Indian food, I like naan.  Mexican (what we had last night) varies on my mood-- I like most everything.  French and Italian I will eat most everything (though there are certain things that I absolutely refuse to touch).  Seafood... I  like crab and shrimp, but not most types of fish.

Pad Thai  

{Via}

Naan

{Via}

I have been lucky.  I hope all of you have been as lucky as I have, to have had many food experiences and have never felt the power of famine for yourself.  But think about those people who have, maybe find a charity and donate a little money, maybe buy a Let Kenya Rise tee from Sevenly.  

Now, go up and click on the Blog Action Day 2011 link I have at the top of the post, and go to the participants page, and read what other people have to say about Blog Action Day.  

The Dandy Lioness

Sevenly

Have you ever heard of http://sevenly.org/?  It's a t-shirt company that creates a special t-shirt for a different charity each week, and that t-shirt is only available for one week.  I haven't bought anything from them, but they have a great cause, and I do expect I will buy something in the near future.  In fact, I'm considering this week's Let Kenya Rise t-shirt.

Want to know more?

Here's a video on Sevenly's mission.

I hope this video works, as I haven't tried to put one in a post before.  I really hope you guys all come check this out-- and if you want to help spread the word about Sevenly, just write a post about it.

Also, when you move your mouse over something on their website to copy it (you know, the big blue box you get on a PC or a white one on a Mac?)  Here it's pink.  That's pretty cool too.

So please hop on over to Sevenly and check it out.  And $7 out of every purchase goes to the charity that week.  It's a totally great cause.

Edit::  Just ordered my Let Kenya Rise t-shirt in charcoal!  Whoohoo!  Superduper excited!

The Dandy Lioness

Apple Store Lines

What did I do this morning?

I woke up at 7:10.

I left the house at 7:20.

We reached the mall at 7:45.

We stood in line until 8:45.

We entered the Apple store at 8:45 to get iPhone 4S for my mother and sister.

We left the Apple store at 11:10.  Because the AT&T servers crashed minutes before we finished the transaction.

We went to our favorite sandwich shop (Caribbean sandwiches... YUM.) then to a cookbook shop down the street.  My mom ordered me a peacoat from Delia's that she promised me two weeks ago.

And now, I am sitting on the couch, after having finished Goliath by Scott Westerfeld.

But despite the fact that we hung out in the Apple store for 2 1/2 hours, I had a good day.  And tonight we're going to see Moneyball, which should be fun.

(And if you're wondering, I did go to my friend E's house last night, and it was crazy and we baked cookies and played Sardines, and it was all very fun.  And apparently I make wimpy sized cookies :P )

A Word Used High and Low

There's a word in every language

A word that you should know

A word that means you're friendly

A word used high and low.

Though the way to say it varies.

Most everywhere you go.

Its meaning never changes

And that word is...

...Hello!

Hello!  Sorry I've been MIA-- life's been a bit crazy around here.

Yesterday I hung out with one of my friends (E.  Well.  One of the Es.  I have... three?  Four?  I think three.  So,  yes, one of the Es.) yesterday, and L, and we filmed our TV Production movie.  It was kind of crazy.  Especially the random clip of the three of us singing Mamma Mia songs...

My sister and I made delicious apple cider cookies stuffed with caramel, and she made an apple pie, and so we've had lots of delicious deserts around here.  I love it when my sister is home, because we have real food, and homemade baked goods.

I've been researching airships for my (hopeful) NaNoWriMo.  Sadly, out of our twenty-seven public libraries, only one of them has any books about airships, and you can only actually check out two, out of about fifteen. But I got both of those on hold, and hopefully they'll get here soon.  Actually, I just checked my account, and they're there now.  Which makes me happy.  I'll probably end up copying a bunch of pages out of them and pinning them up around my room and frantically checking them for airship anatomy (anatomy?  Is that the right word?)  I'm super excited about this (hopeful) project-- anything with airships makes me super excited.  Props to Evergreena (Rachel) for introducing me to Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, who wrote the first airship book I ever read.

It was a four-day week this week, so I'm done for the week.  Now all I have is dance in 45 minutes, and possibly going to E's house with a bunch of friends, and I'm done for the day.  Oh, and the Thursday Night Lineup.  (Which is Community and the Office.  We used to watch the other shows, but really that's all I like now.)

So, yes.  Hello.  I have returned.  I'm going to go watch Vlogbrothers videos now.  And yes.  I'm a Nerdfighter.  DFTBA.

Lyrics at the top are from the Hello song.

Happy Girls are the Prettiest

I'm the kind of person who notices things.  I can be sitting at the dining room table, or the coffee table doing my homework, with the news on one channel and the radio going in another room, and my mom on her computer, and I'll look up and ask her a question about one thing or another I just heard.

I remember dates and number sequences.  I remember homework problems and I pick up words like clothes do dog hair.  But I'm also referred to as one of the most forgetful people my friends know.  I'll be in the middle of a sentence then trail off, and go, "Wait, what was I saying?".  I'm happy and bubbly, though I gripe a lot, probably more than I should.  But when I'm happy about something, or excited, I bounce around for days at a time, talking about it.

So that's who I am.  Happy and forgetful, a noticer and a lover of words.  And now, I leave you with this.

(Made by me, please don't steal, if you would like to use it, drop me a comment, and I'll probably say yes.)

Meet Eilidh

{Via}

What's your name?

Eilidh Tormulous.  *E-lid Tor-mu-lus*

Age?

I'm in my twenties.  Young for an elf.

Any family?

Just Alek, my younger brother.

Race?

I am elvish.

Favorite weapon?

Tequi sticks, javelin, sword, bow and arrow...

That's more than one.  So, pick one.

Tequi, I suppose.

What are tequi sticks?

Small, needle like swords, with a very secret training practice.  You can only learn from the master swordsmen at the Caves of Elder.

(I don't have the laptop with me, so I'm not positive about the spelling of tequi...)

{Via}

Best friends-- have you got any?

Princess Margaux, probably.

Eilidh, call me 'princess' one more time, and you'll find snakes in your bed.

I apologize, Margaux.  My best friend would be Margaux.

Quests?

Sometimes.  When I'm sent somewhere, I go.

Recent traveling companions?

Margaux, my brother Alek, Margaux's cousin Oliver, my cousin Charlotte (who can be downright snobby sometimes, even if she is a good fighter.) and the sisters Tess and Arianna, who aren't actually from Eristora.  They just appeared and tagged along.  They're from someplace called "America".

Do you believe in love at first sight?

No.  Love is something that can't just "appear" when you see someone.  You have to know them.

What do other characters say about you?

That I'm smart, fast, and a bit hard on everyone.  They tell me I'm too sarcastic, and that I need to lighten up on everyone.

Righty or lefty?
I'm ambidextrous, meaning I can write with both hands.  But originally a lefty.

Organized or disorganized?
Organized.  Generally.  Sometimes I'm disorganized.

Favorite season?
Autumn.

Favorite animal?
I generally leave the animal-ing to Margaux (who can speak to them, through a connection that many of the women in her family have) but I like horses.

What does your handwriting look like?  And do others think it is readable?
I have slanted, skinny handwriting.  Some find it easy to read, others find it slightly messy and hard to read.  It all depends on the person.

Favorite weather?
A clear, cool autumn morning with the leaves still on the trees.

Do you have a favorite color of clothing?
I generally stick to blues, greens and browns, but when I'm being extravagant, I love to wear a silver dress.  So, silver, probably.

{Via}

Do others find you simple and elegant or flashy and glamorous?  
Simple and elegant, I would presume.  I tend to stay away from jewels, if I can.  I will wear perhaps a pendant around my neck now and then, but generally I do not.

Do you have any dreams or goals for the future?
I hope to restore Margaux and Nikolas to their rightful places of royalty in Eristora.  At the moment, that is all I am concentrating on.

What's your biggest secret?
Do you really think I would tell you that?

Well, I was hoping...
No.

Enemies?
More than I care to elaborate on.

Where were you born?
Like my mother, father and brother, I was born into a small elvish community about two days ride from the Caves of Elder.  However, when I was about six my family moved to the Caves of Elder to be closer to our extended family there.

Are you humorous?  If so, how?
Well, I'm rather sarcastic...

Are you naturally curious?
Yes.

How do you battle?  (As in, stay to the sides, get into the middle of things, help anyone who needs it, etc.)
I definitely get right into the thick of things, but if I can I help anyone nearby.


Alright, that's the end of this.  Did you enjoy this questionare?
Ahem.  Need I remind you that you just told me I was done?  And Sofia, you said this would be short.

The Simple Joys of Life

{Via}

I'm reading my SIGNED copy of Goliath at the moment.  Don't know what Goliath is?  It's the third and final book in the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.  I got to go to an author reading by him.  If he's in your area, and you've read his books (which you should either go buy or order from the library) you should most definitely go and see him.  He's hilarious, and awesome.  He also apologized to me for killing me on page one of Leviathan,  (Alek's mother is named Sophie,) which was cool.  But he's a great public speaker, and I definitely encourage you to go see him if he's in your area.

I spent much of today either in the car, or at my grandmother's house.  We're getting ready for the memorial service tomorrow, and though I didn't actually do anything, I played with my baby cousins (ages 6, 4 and 8 months) and acted as baby sitter for my aunt-- who actually had productive stuff to do.

{Via}

And now, I'm sitting here on my couch, staring out my darkened window, waiting for my mother to tell me it's time to go.  Go where?  To pick up my sister for her fall break.  Which, sadly, will start off with my grandfather's memorial service.  In fact, her flight is supposed to come in in exactly one hour.

The trees here are changing, for real now.  Their beautiful red and orange leaves haven't yet begun to wither and die, and fall from the trees, and I'm grateful.  I'm grateful that the frost hasn't yet begun to collect in the mornings, and that I don't have to wear my North Face to school.  I'm grateful that Halloween decorations have begun to grace the doors of homes, and that talk of Halloween costumes fills my lunch table every day.  I'm grateful we still have beautifully sunny days inserted between the gray and the rain.  I'm grateful for the chance to meet several of my favorite authors, as their fall tours begin.

{Via}

So I'm marveling in the simple beauty of early autumn.  I'm rejoicing in the fact that I can wear boots and jeans, and long sleeved shirts, without needing my warm jacket.  I'm smiling at the fact fact that authors are visiting my city.  And I have to notice, I have to be grateful, I have to take these things in, because I'm sad.  I'm sad my grandfather died, and his memorial service is tomorrow.  So I'm rejoicing in the beauty of life, and taking it all in.  Because life is short, and the teenage years are even shorter, and now the sky has darkened to remind me that the days are getting shorter.  So take life one step at a time, and as you go, take notice in the little things.  

The Dandy Lioness

Thank Goodness It's Friday

TGIF

Thank Goodness It's Friday.  That's my saying of the day.  

So, the geography test was WAY easier than I thought it would be.  The vocab test wasn't hard at all.  We had "Freaky Friday" in science, where we didn't actually do anything but play with optical illusions.  Math was math-y, but you know, that's to be expected.  French was fun-- we ran around the school.  TV Production was okay too.  

Also, DFTBA.  Don't Forget to be Awesome.  That's all for today.  :)

The Dandy Lioness

Homework Ranting-- You Probably Don't Want to Read This

That tiredness you get at the end of the day has descended upon me-- make that the almost-end of the week.  Since I got home from school today I haven't done much but homework and dance.  I think the tiredness descended about 7:00.  I was just so exhausted from everything.  Difficult math homework (symmetry and translations... bleh.  As Purplewolf knows all too well, I am not the best at understanding math concepts.) an hour and a half of dance, studying for a huge geography test tomorrow, and a vocab test-- for the same teacher.

I just want the week to be over.  I want it to be Friday afternoon.  I want to be the weekend.  This has been a long-- and by long, I mean long-- week for me.  My grandfather died last Saturday, and this whole week has been exhausting.  I'm ready for it to be Saturday night, when my sister comes home for Fall break from college.  I'm ready for tomorrow morning, when I find a new book to read at school (I finished City of Bones-- it was quite good.)  I'm ready for it to be tomorrow afternoon, when there will be a new Vlogbrothers video up on YouTube.  I'm ready to not spend every waking second at school, or doing homework.

Why do teachers always seem to give their tests on the same week?  Last week was my big test week-- a math standardized, a math regular test, vocab (we have them weekly... blah.), science.  I know I had another as well-- geography, perhaps?  This week I've had another standardized (language arts, this time) test, a big French monument test, I retook the science test (because I made stupid mistakes and wanted my grade to go up), and then tomorrow the geography and vocab test.  I look forward to the days of less tests... will those days ever come???  Will I be able to do NaNo next month????  Ah!  I hope so!  I love NaNoWriMo, and I really want to do it again.

I apologize.  This has been mostly ranting, and complaining.  But I was at that point where I just wanted to throw my pencil down and walk away-- and I can't do that.  I have to study for my geography test tomorrow.  I have to study for my vocab test tomorrow.  I just had to let out steam.  So now, I feel a bit more relaxed.  Maybe I can actually work now.  But maybe not.  So... sorry about this.  Sorry if you read it.  You probably just wasted three minutes, or however long it took you to read this.  Mostly, it's just a way for me to rant.

The (Not-So) Dandy Lioness

Writing

This is my Writer's Block

{Via}

It is what I throw at the wall when I can't think of anything.  And by that, I mean the imaginary wall in my head blocking me from getting at all my good ideas.  It only sometimes works.

So, let's talk about writing.

Last summer (as in, not this summer that just passed, but the summer before that,) I started writing something.  It wasn't serious-- it was just for fun.  It was about talking wolves, who lived in packs and who were trying to get around all their serious issues with each other.  You know, basic talking animal story.  I got to fifteen thousand words that summer.  I was amazed, and thought that was like, a million words, or something.  I began to seriously consider the idea of me becoming an author.

Over the last... seven? years, my friend Olivia (who I love dearly and have known forever) and I started this story.  It all started because we thought there weren't enough girls in Harry Potter.  Now, don't get me wrong.  We both love Harry Potter.  However, were ages six (me) and eight (her) and we thought there just weren't enough girls.  Sure, there was Hermione, and Ginny, and Luna who were all pretty cool.  But really, who else was there?  So we set out to write our own version-- with girls.  Now, since that day at her grandmother's house, seven years ago, our story-- GP-- has blossomed into our little world.  We work on it every time we're together.  Now, it may be true that we're only a few chapters into book one (I would check, but it's on my personal email, not here, so I'm too lazy to save, go check, log back on, and continue writing this post.  So let's say around six chapters?  Five?  Seven?) but we've been working on it for seven years.  Sure, the first five or so, mostly included us playing GP games... but we loved it.  It is our baby.  And that was my first big writing project (though, technically, she's doing most of the writing.  I mostly pitch ideas, and she writes them out.)

Then, in October 2010, I learned she was doing NaNoWriMo.  I checked it out, and thought it sounded pretty cool.  So, I tried it out, and, despite the fact that I was aiming for 30,000, hit the goal of 50,000.  That's my story China Roses, which is currently in the phase where I'm supposed to start heavy editing, but find the idea terrifying, so I'm putting it off.

This summer, I finished my wolf story.  It is not a novel-- it's only about 20,000 words-- so I dubbed it "The Un-named Wolf Novella".  It's currently in "editing".  (Which, for me, is mostly just fixing small errors until I can give it to someone who can read it and tell me all the things I have to fix.  Also, figuring out all the characters-- I have about fifty characters that I keep forgetting about-- I have a long list that is currently keeping my place in the manuscript.  Also, huge plot holes I have to fix.  Hehe.  Rafi, I promise I'll figure out your family issues.  I just have to, you know, not forget about you... again.)  I'm avoiding that too.  I really hate re-reading my work.  

Also this summer, I started work on a story about "super-natural" people.  Mostly witches and warlocks, but they're all teenagers and living in this big house.  That got abandoned however, when I got bored of the plot (it started going really wonky... maybe I'll pick it up again someday.)  It was maybe 8,000 words when I got bored.  Possibly more.

Now, at the moment, I'm about 19,000 words into a new WIP.  It is title-less, and mostly plot-less, but I like it-- though I haven't worked on it in several days.  I have to get around to doing that.  I started it this summer and have been writing in fits and spurts.  I might do some "Meet the Character" posts for it, or maybe one of the others.  But probably this WIP, since I have pictures of many of the characters.

I consider myself to be a writer.  I will always think of myself as a writer, even if I'm an accountant, or a teacher (which I would never be.  I just couldn't deal with it all.  Especially middle school students.  HOW do those teachers survive??????) or a photographer or a web designer.  I will be a writer.  It's part of who I am.  And, if I tried to stop ideas would start leaking out of my ears or something equally drastic.  So... I write.

The Dandy Lioness

Randomosity

First of all, I have to say happy birthday to my lovely dog, Milo.  We got him as a sort-of Christmas present two and a half years ago.  (We a) didn't get him on Christmas and b) picked him out ).  However, we won't be celebrating that until my sister gets back next week for her fall break.

(This is Milo, I apologize for the low-quality-ness of the picture, but it was taken on my phone.  Also, it might be blurry.  Sorry.)

I like the word "autumn" so much more than "fall".  It's just more... graceful.  Here, the sky is beginning to turn gray, the drizzle is starting to come, and the trees have started to change.  (Except for the many pine trees, which don't lose their needles.)  It's all very beautiful.  Halloween decorations are appearing on front porches and doors, and the grocery stores have large pumpkin displays out front.  I've always loved this time of year.  My friends and I are making our Halloween plans (We're heading over to my Elementary school for their carnival in late October.  Excited!) and people are settling into the routine of school.

Did anyone else watch the season premiere of House last night?  House (the doctor, not the show... well, the show too,) can be so... infuriating sometimes.  But I love the show anyways.  Can't wait for next week's episode.

Does anyone else spend way too much time on Pinterest?  I don't even have an account (No Facebook or Twitter... I wish they would make it so you just had to have an email... *sigh*) but I spend more of my free time than I should on there.  It's just so addicting!

I'm reading a good book right now.  It's called City of Bones and it's by Cassandra Clare.  Anyone heard of it?  (And Purplewolf, you can't answer this, because I know you've heard of it, as I'm still reading it and I've been carrying it around with me for the last couple days.)  It's quite good.  However, I'm sure many of you (not that there are more than maybe three people reading this...) have heard of it as it's been on best sellers lists.  I think.  Eh.  Too lazy to check.

Today my friend E and I got (almost) finished with our silent movie in TV Production class.  (Which, is quite fun-- third year in a row taking it!)  We used James Bond music for the background.  It fits perfectly, and we're totally psyched.  But I really don't want to show it to the class.  (I did a rather awful job of acting in it.  But the amount of laughs we got while looking at all of my strange expressions totally made up for it.)

Looking back on what I've written, I realized I used (parentheses) in every paragraph.  Hehe.  And now, I leave you with some pictures of quotes from TV shows and books.

(Via)  

"Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia..." 

(Also from Looking for Alaska by John Green.  Love that book <3)

"Why is there an apple in my dressing gown?"

"Oh, that's Howard's..."

"Howard keeps apples in his dressing gown?"

"He gets hungry..."

Doctor Who!  This is from the first episode that David Tenant was the Doctor in.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJ1iPl4as4

And a clip from Doctor Who season 3, Utopia.  

And now, I leave you.

The Dandy Lioness

A-Z Getting to Know Me tag

So, I'm stealing this from Sally who stole it from Hayley from the blog Fish Flakes (I apologize, I do not have Hayley's link.)  Note:  I changed one or two of the questions.

A.  Age--  Thirteen.  Well, thirteen and a half-- my birthday is in April.

B.  Bed size--  Twin.  My room couldn't hold a bigger bed if I wanted to keep all the stuff I currently have in there.  

C.  Chore that you hate--  I don't like the dishes, especially when you're loading them.  It just is gross.  Blech.

D.  Dogs--  One, formerly two.  My current dog is named Milo.  He's a white havanese and he will be three years old... tomorrow, actually.  we named him after the main character in the book, The Phantom Tollbooth.

E.  Essential start to your day--  Shower.  If I don't take a shower in the morning (unless I had a sport the night before, when I would have taken a shower) I feel gross until I do.

F.  Favorite color-- Probably purple, but maybe silver or a light gray.

G.  Gold or silver?--  Silver, definitely.

H.  Height-- 5'0.  I'm short.

I.  Instruments you play--  I used to play violin, but I haven't since fourth grade.

J.  Job title--  Aspiring author?  Middle school student?  Eh.  Both.

K.  Kids?-- Maybe.  

L.  Live-- USA.

M.  Mother's Name--  Let's call her T.

N.  Nicknames--  Hmmm... Sofie.  Ofie.  Ofiasay (yes, I am called this.)  A few others I can't think of.  Oh, and Purplewolf reminded me (I know IRL) of a friend who calls me Couch.

O.  Overnight hospital stays--  More than I can count, due to being in the ICU for six weeks at age two.  So let's just say-- a lot.  (However, I think the last time I had an overnight hospital stay was when I was four and almost cracked my chin open...)

P.  Pet peeve--  I have several, but at the moment, I can't think of any.  However, I will probably have several posts full of ranting about pet peeves, knowing me.

Q.   Quotes from a movie/TV show--  Anything from Doctor Who.  But especially-- "The angels have the phone box.  That's my favorite!  I've got that on a t-shirt!"

R.  Righty or lefty?-- Righty.  :)

S.  Siblings--  One.  She's nineteen and in college, and despite our age difference, we're pretty close.

T.  Time you wake up--  School days, 6:15.  Weekends, generally between 7:30 and 8:00.

U.  Umbrellas?--  Where I live, despite the fact that it rains (quite often, actually), no one ever really uses umbrellas.  Which is strange.

V.  Vegetables you hate-- Peppers.  I can't stand them.

W.  What makes you run late?--  Forgetting stuff.  

X.  X-Ray's you've had--  Uhh... none since I was a baby, I don't think.  However, I do have yearly Echocardiograms (sp?) on my heart.  

Y.  Yummy food you like to make--  Umm....  cookies?  I dunno, I don't really cook very much...

Z.  Zoo animal--  Elephants.  As stated in the first post, I will often randomly say, "Anything unrelated to elephants is irrelephant."

If you read all that, I congratulate you.  Feel free to take it-- I'd love to see your answers.  

The Dandy Lioness

Welcome to my Cottage

{ Via }

Hello!


Here in the blog-world, you can call me the Dandy Lioness.  In reality, I'm known as Sofia.


There are lots of things I love-- writing, books, Harry Potter, flowers, photography (but I don't really take any pictures myself), quotes, Pinterest (but I don't have an account), talking to blog-friends, reading...  The list goes on and on.  I'm thirteen years old, and have been lurking around the blog-world for almost two years now-- I decided to (finally) take a shot at the actual blog-writing aspect of it.  I go to a public school in the USA that I don't really like.  I take French, but I'm not very good at it.  I read obsessively, and write just as much.  I did NaNoWriMo last year, and won.  I hope to try it again this year.  I've written one novel, one novella, and am about 19,000 words into a new project.  I'm a travel-addict, especially foreign countries.  I have one sister, and she is currently in college.


I probably watch way too much TV, and have WAY too many favorite shows.  Law and Order (and spin-offs), Doctor Who, House, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Community, The Office, The Closer, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, and Rizzoli and Isles.  (And do note that I don't watch Law and Order weekly, and these shows aren't all on in the same season.  So it's not like I watch a zillion shows in a week.)  Oh!  And Robin Hood BBC.  I'm watching that at the moment.


This summer I went to France with my sister, and we stayed with some of our dear friends who live there.  My family (on my mother's side) is mostly Irish, so I'd love to visit Ireland one day.  I would love to re-visit Paris (I went there a few years ago-- sadly, no visits this summer), the Cinque Terre and London.


My favorite color is purple, but I also love silver, and anything elegant.  My room had goose wallpaper, that my sister picked out when she was six.  It is currently covered in maps, mostly of Europe.  I love pictures of colors-- colored pencils, colored zippers, colored trees. I love elephants too-- and I will often say at the randomest times, "Anything unrelated to elephants is irrelephant."  My friends think I'm crazy, but I'm not so much a loud, jumping around crazy as a quiet crazy that only they ever seem to encounter.


Also, I love floors.  Lying on the floor can just be so wonderful.  Don't look at me like I'm crazy, my other friends do this too.  I also love dancing around our kitchen.


I do gymnastics and take Irish dance.  For dance, I just started hard shoes.  For gymnastics, I've been doing it since I was about six, and still aren't terribly advanced.  I'm blessed to not have any allergies, and I love all kinds of food.  Thai, French, Italian, Mexican, I'll eat it all. Thai especially.


Now, this has gotten long, and rambles quite a bit, so I'm going to end it here.  Hat's off to you, if you read it all.  And in the beginning, I apologize for the fact that the whole URL is there.  I'm not quite sure how to add a  hyperlink, so you get the whole URL.  Please leave a comment (and if you know how to add a hyperlink, please tell me how!)    Thanks for helping, Eagle!


The Dandy Lioness