Happy Things

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Stealing a page from Olivia’s book today.

   1./ The first frost.

   2./ Gray days.

   3./ Buckets of extra-buttery movie theater popcorn.

   4./ Heading home after a day of classes.

   5./ “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys  and “Forever Young" by Bob Dylan.

   6./ Picking up books at the library.

   7./ Rain. (Rainy days in October can be beautiful. Alternatively, they can be miserable—but the ones around here have mostly been beautiful.)

   8./ Friday night movies with friends.

   9./ Knitting. (Yep, still working on that scarf. Note to self: next time, use bigger needles.)
   10./ Fresh apple cider. 

   11./ Alphabear. (Thanks for the recommendation, Joni!)

In other news: this semester has been tough, and I’ve got to admit that I’m glad it’s winding down. I have a couple of ideas/newsworthy stuff for future posts—hopefully those will be going up soon. And I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! 

Pumpkins & Candy Apples: The Sweater Weather Tag

   Autumn is my favorite season and October is my favorite month, so I couldn’t be happier that Kelsey nominated me for the Sweater Weather Tag. Thanks a lot! (And before you read any further, go check out her blog; she’s a lovely person and a talented artist to boot.)

Favorite candle scent:

Green tea nectarine. Also, anything to do with food (pumpkin pie, hazelnut) or flowers (primrose).

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?

Depends on my mood. If I want to feel cozy and/or artistic, I’ll go for tea. If I’m barely awake or need something icy and covered in whipped cream, it’s coffee (Frappuccinos are the best). When it’s snowing, my first choice is always hot chocolate.

What’s the best fall memory you have?

One Halloween, my sisters and I decided to make caramel apples together. It was almost a disaster--the white chocolate refused to melt right and ended up mostly on the floor, and the caramel began to melt off the apples—but everything tasted delicious in the end, which was all we were really hoping for.

Best fragrance for fall:

Whatever’s handy; I’m not picky about perfumes. The best fall smell is burning wood and leaves.

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Favorite Thanksgiving food:

Stuffing covered in gravy. Mashed potatoes covered in gravy. Gravy covered in more gravy.

What is autumn weather like where you live?

Anything from very mild to extremely cold, depending on the day. We don’t usually get snow before November, though, and the changing leaves are always gorgeous.

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Most worn sweater:

A big blue one with sleeves that I can never keep rolled up.

Football games or jumping in leaf piles?

Jumping in leaf piles.

Skinny jeans or leggings?

Skinny jeans, believe it or not. I think they’re pretty comfortable.

Combat boots or Uggs?

Combat boots. Any kind of boots, really.

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Is Pumpkin Spice worth the hype?

I’m not too crazy about pumpkin spice, to be honest. I do love pumpkin pie and pumpkin rolls.

Favorite fall TV show:

Supernatural is perfect any time of the year, but it’s super fun to watch during fall, especially the older, scarier episodes. Any Halloween-themed episode from any Disney Channel TV show.

What song really gets you into the fall spirit?

Anything from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.

What do you want to be for Halloween?

I don’t dress up much anymore, but if I could get all my friends together I’d make sure we all dressed up as either hunters from Supernatural (which is easy—all you really need is a lot of plaid) or characters from Treasure Planet.

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Hats or scarves?

Scarves! My hair’s too thick for hats to fit on my head.

What’s your #1 favorite thing about fall?

The chilly, spooky atmosphere. Candy apples. Ghost stories. Pumpkins. I always seem to get a rush of new story ideas in the fall, which is wonderful. My absolute favorite thing, though, would have to be that sweet spot in late September and early October when the weather’s not too hot or too cold. I live for those days.

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   If you want to join in, consider yourself tagged! I’ll also nominate Aimee and Jo. Don’t do it if you don’t want to, but I’d love to see your answers!

How I Journal

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Not often, and not very well, but I thought I’d share my six journaling “rules”.

1. Don’t worry about the content: My entries are hideously boring. Most of them read something like this: “Didn’t do much today. Wasted time on the computer. Hoping to do more tomorrow.” I use my journal as a place to vent and record whatever my thoughts are at the moment. Most of my thoughts aren’t exactly groundbreaking.

2. Make journaling every day (or twice a week or once a month or whenever) a goal, and stick to it: Right now, I’m trying to write in my journal every day. I slacked off for quite a bit this summer, so now I’m making up for lost time. Different people do it different ways, but if I don’t set myself specific goals, I’ll never get around to doing it.

3. Find a good pen: It makes all the difference! And by good, I mean a pen you like, not a super-fancy, super-expensive fountain pen (unless that’s what you like…). I’ve used ballpoints, markers, and even colored pencils.

4. Keep your old journals: And read back over them every once in a while. Mine still make me cringe, but it’s fun to see how far you’ve come.

5. Decorate your journal: I didn’t used to do this, since my artistic skills are pretty much limited to drooling over other peoples’ work. I sometimes doodle in my journals, but more recently I’ve been raiding old magazines for pictures to tape to the pages. My current journal is much more colorful than my others, and I’m always more excited to write in it.

6. Don’t worry about writing something stupid: The most important rule, no question. About 50% of what I write now will probably sound incredibly stupid a few months (or a few days) later. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth writing. Journaling is about capturing the moment, whether it sounds good or not. 

The Tag of Randomicity

Gobs of thanks to Joni over at lace and fog for tagging me!

The rules:

~ Paste the button onto your blog post.

~ Leave a new list of questions (or just pass on the question list you answered) and tag a few people of your random choice (and say why you tagged them, if you have time!) (Be original and nonsensical and disastrously random!)

~Write down three facts about you – one of them is WRONG. Let your commenters guess in the comments which one is wrong (and tell them in the comments after a while)

~Answer the questions of the person who tagged you – make it all super random and interesting.

The Facts…

          I have never been outside the US.

  I don’t read comics.

   I used to have a pet hamster.

The Questions…

     What is one food that you can (do?) eat mountains of because you love it so? Raspberries. I’m completely capable of polishing off an entire bag of frozen raspberries in under an hour.

  

        If you were a Traveler Without Roots, would your home be a train car, an RV, a hot air balloon, a boat, or just a pack on your back? Or maybe another option completely? Either an RV or a boat—when I was younger I wanted to travel around the world in a house boat. A hot air balloon sounds wonderful, too, but I’m not too crazy about heights.

     Name a celebrity you wish you could spend one day with. Honestly, I’m so shy I don’t think I could handle being around my favorite celebrities without clamming up or making a complete fool of myself. It’s easier to pick a character they play, in which case I’d still have to pick between Sherlock from Sherlock, Michonne from The Walking Dead, or Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural.    

        What fictional character’s house would you like to have as your own? The Burrow, definitely. Or one of the houses from the Nanny McPhee movies. Just LOOK at them…

   

  If you could take a class in ANYTHING what would it be? Cake decorating. I’ve always wanted to, though I’m not sure why.     

       Name a childhood obsession. TV show, stuffed animal, book, food, pastime- anything. I loved the show Teen Titans, even though I saw all of two episodes of it. Raven was my favorite character. I was also REALLY into drawing and painting when I was younger, and making miniature dolls. Anything crafty, really.   

    What do you think would be an awesome theme for a party? Lord of the Rings. Specifically, a Lord of the Rings themed wedding held outside, like Bilbo’s long expected party, with the minister dressed up as Gandalf and the guests as elves/Rohirrim/hobbits/rangers. And Bill the Pony would obviously have to make an appearance. The bride and groom could pick between dressing up as Arwen and Aragorn or as Eowyn and Faramir.

       Have you been in any clubs/groups in your lifetime? I’ve been in a book club and a writer’s group.   

    What’s something you have to buy all the time that you wish you could just have an endless supply of (Something that’s always the same thing- no books or movies!) Pencils and spiral-bound notebooks. 

     What park (national/amusement/theme/etc) would you choose to visit? Disneyland. I’ve never gone…yet. I’m extremely jealous of anyone who lives so close to Disneyland that they can go there regularly.

I tag:
Alyssa @ The Devil Orders Takeout 
Heather @ Sometimes I'm a Story
Christina @ fairy skeletons

    Don’t do it unless you want to, but I’d love to see your answers! (Also, Joni’s questions are so awesome that I couldn’t think of any of my own…I’ll just pass hers on!)

My 4 Greatest Writing Weaknesses

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    Hey guys! A while back I wrote a post on the eight essentials to my writing process. I thought another writing-related list would be fun, and, honestly, I’m at a point where I could do with a good, cleansing rant about EVERYTHING that’s wrong with the way I write. I decided to go with my four greatest weaknesses, but this obviously isn’t a complete list :) 

1. Motivation

 I’m lazy. Really, really lazy. Motivating myself to finish a first draft is hard enough, but once I get to the last page—if I get to the last page—my will power to actually fix the thing is pretty much shot. I know lots of writers prefer editing to writing the first draft, but at least during the first draft I don’t have to worry about whether it’s any good or not….
 
2.  Fear
I can’t write without constantly worrying—I’ve screwed up way too many stories for that. When I’m not worrying about my writing ability, I worry about my ideas, and when I’m not worrying about my ideas, I worry about the kind of pens and paper I’m using (really!). How-to books and websites are pure poison right before I start drafting; I stress over inciting incidents and original concepts until my inspiration is completely sapped.  
 

3.   Routine
 I used to make sure to write two pages of each of my projects every day after school. This was when I first started writing semi-seriously, and even though all of those projects sucked, I was productive and happy. I haven’t had much of a regular writing routine since. It’s something I’d like to start again but never have.
 
4. Comparison
 I compare myself to every other writer I meet and secretly think they’re so much happier/more talented/more productive/more likely to get published than I am. Truth is, I’m pretty sure we all feel terrible. 

   

   Misery loves company! What are your biggest writing weaknesses?

Cake Book Tag & Addictive Blog Award

   The only thing that might possibly be better than books is cake. Thanks again to the lovely Alyssa for tagging me; I haven’t blogged about books in a while, so the timing is perfect.

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Cake Book Tag:

Flour: A book that started slowly but turned out amazing

It took me quite a while to get past the first page, but once I did I couldn’t stop reading.

Butter: A book that had a thick, rich plot 

Immigration to a foreign country, a manuscript smuggled away in a viola, and not one but two unexpected romances. What more could you ask for?

Eggs: A book you thought would be bad but turned out great

I didn’t think it would be horrible, but I had only average expectations for The Year Money Grew on Trees. And then I actually read it. It makes owning and maintaining an orchard sound like fun, and how can you not love a story where the kids get to drive their own tractor into town? Plus, it ends on a surprising but satisfyingly bittersweet note.

Sugar: A sugary, sweet book

Pumpkin Moonshine by Tasha Tudor. A simple, old-fashioned story wrapped up in beautiful illustrations.

Icing: A book that covered every single element that you enjoy in a book

I had a tough time picking this one…I’m far from picky when it comes to choosing favorite books, but they’re not many that cover every base. The King of Attolia has fantastically believable world building, sword fights, political intrigue, snarky characters, kind characters, snarky and kind characters, and one of the most twisted yet wonderful romances I have ever read. I also love how transparent the writing is—you almost forget you’re reading and just begin to live the story.

Sprinkles: A book that always cheers you up

This is a bit of a weird example, seeing as the story itself isn’t all that cheerful, but rereading The Outsiders always puts me in a good mood. I read it for the first time three or four years ago, and since then it’s been my book version of comfort food.

The Cherry on Top: The best book of the year so far

I’m going to have to go with Fool’s Assassin. I don’t read much high fantasy, and this one’s a doorstopper. It’s not the most suspenseful read, but I loved the concept and characters and finished it in record time, considering. But be warned: it ends with a horrible cliffhanger.

Cupcakes: An awesome short with the epicness of a book

A boy with god-like powers cuts off his hometown from the rest of the world on the day he’s born. It goes about as well as you’d expect. It’s a Good Life is one of the creepiest stories I’ve ever read (they made three Twilight Zone episodes out of it), what with “snapping” people’s minds and “wishing things to the cornfield”. But the thing is, the boy, Anthony, isn’t evil. At least not exactly. Most of the story takes place when he’s three years old, so he really can’t be expected to act any better—especially since everyone is scared to death of him. Anyway, it’s a great story with a concept that I would love to see in a book.

Addictive Blog Award:

Rules:

1. Thank the person awarding you.
2. Share a little about why you blog and how the journey started.
3. Paste the blog award on your page.
4. Nominate 10 other bloggers you feel deserve the award.

Why I blog:

   Because it’s fun and I’m semi-good at it. I’m never 100% satisfied with any of my posts, but I love sharing my opinions and connecting with other bloggers. And I love getting ideas for shiny new posts. That’s it, really.

How I started:

   Third Star to the Right was my fourth(?) blog and the first where I decided to buckle down and stick with it. I blogged about the things that interested me—writing, books, a bit of art—and eventually people started reading (hey, guys!) It’s only been a few months, and I’m still figuring things out, but I’m happy with how it’s coming along.

I’m tagging:

   If you’d like to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged. If you post them, be sure to leave me a link in the comments—I’d love to check it out!

8 Writing Essentials

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 If I’m going to be honest, I’d have to say that I love reading about writing almost more than I love actually writing. For one, it’s easier--but learning about other people’s writing processes has always helped me understand mine better. And who doesn't like getting a chance to peek at the details of someone else’s life? (I realize this makes me sound like a voyeur. However, without people like this, blogs wouldn't exist.) Anyway, since I love these kinds of posts so much, I decided to cook up one of my own. Here are the eight essentials to my writing process.

1. Notebooks
Most of my writing starts in notebooks: freewrites, story notes, and first drafts. The best ones are pretty utilitarian--spiral-bound, college ruled--so I don’t have to worry about “ruining” them with less than perfect writing. I also keep journals, which are usually a bit fancier. At the moment, I’m trying to manage two; a normal one and a ten-year journal. I don’t write an entry every day, but I do try to update a couple of times a week.

2. Pens, Pencils, & Markers
For some reason, I prefer pens with blue ink over pens with black ink. I use markers and colored pens to mark up drafts when I’m editing.

3. Index Cards & Post-It Notes
I used to jot down my ideas on index cards, and now I keep a shoe box full of them on my shelf. It’s full of random bits of inspiration that don’t have a particular story yet--observations, quotes, titles. I don’t use post-its much, except when I’m editing. I like to mark up my drafts, and sticky notes help keep things a little cleaner.

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4. Iwako erasers
They're completely useless, since I can't imagine using them to erase anything. They do make my desk a place I want to be, though. I own the dessert and sushi sets. 

5. Binders
For storing drafts, print-outs of my favorite articles, worksheets, and just about anything else.

6. Spotify Web Player
I do create playlists for my projects, but while I’m writing I prefer instrumental, ambient music rather than songs with lyrics, which make up the bulk of my playlists. If I do listen to a specific song, I’ll replay it until I can’t stand it anymore. Either way, Spotify is my favorite site for streaming music. I also have accounts with 8tracks and Grooveshark, but neither has suited me quite as well.

7. Pinterest
I've been trying to cut back on my time there, since it’s so addictive, and, yet again, much easier than actual writing. It’s not exactly an essential, either, but it is lots of fun and a great place to collect inspiring images, which are.

8. Books
For inspiration, research, and enjoyment (I tend to forget that it’s enough to just enjoy a book). A couple of my favorite writing-related books are The Craft of  Writing the Novel by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and Wired for Story by Lisa Cron.

What are your writing essentials? Let me know in the comments!

Reading Recap: December/January

December flew by, January is flying by, and my ability to read more than one book at a time is dying at the same rate as my brain cells. Oh well. I get points for trying, right?

                                         
Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb
     While reading, I kept comparing this book’s pace to a stroll in the park. It’s smooth, it’s steady, and the scenery is a delight to behold…just don’t expect to reach your destination any time soon. This time, though, I think a slower pace works for the story, which is quiet, contemplative, a little tragic and very, very beautiful.  

Every Breath by Ellie Marney
    Every bit as good as it sounds (I mean, who can resist Sherlock Holmes in modern-day Sydney?) with some wonderfully dark, complex characters. Rachel Watts and James Mycroft make quite the team--she has more than enough smarts, guts, and emotional baggage to rival his brooding genius. I really appreciated that they both came from working class families constantly scraping to make ends meet, and the mystery ain’t bad either.   

                        

                          
 Rose by Holly Webb
    I've seen this book described as Downton Abbey meets Harry Potter. So far (I’m only about a quarter of the way through) that's proved an accurate description. When Rose gets the job of her dreams as a maid in Mr. Fountain’s mansion, she’s determined that no magic will sabotage it. Too bad her boss is an alchemist and Rose’s own magical talents are just starting to surface…

 Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth
     Great plot and mostly likable characters, but the ending left a ton of issues unresolved, making me wonder if this is the first book in a series.     

Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy
    I've made my adoration for this series clear, so I won’t bore you with more gushing. Just read them. Read them all.

British Folktales: New Versions by Kevin Crossley Holland 
    I finally bought myself a copy of this--only my favorite collection of folktales--for Christmas. Most of the tales are told straight, but in a very distinctive voice. My personal favorites are “Tam Lin”, “A Fine Field of Flax”, “The Wild Man”, and “Seal-Woman”. Two super-short ghost stories, “Her” and “Boo!” actually inspired a story of my own (more on that later). New Versions is out of print, but you can buy used copies pretty cheaply online.

A January List

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A super random list of things I love about January, and wintertime in general. 

Snow · Rain · Gloomy days · Hot tea · Marathoning TV shows on New Year’s Eve · Finishing Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones · Thinking of the fastest way to get my hands on the sequel (I’ll probably have to buy it) · Mist · Winter trees ·This song · Writing · Not writing · New books · Boots · Hot chocolate · Frost · Waiting for spring 

How has January been treating you so far? 

My Writing Wish List

   Christmas is coming! Since I love everything about the holidays except doing any actual work, I thought now would be the perfect time to share my writing wish list. These are some ideas/concepts I’d like to turn into stories one day…so if you love scatterbrained, super-vague ramblings, read on! (And if you’d like to see the post that inspired this one, check out Kara's post at Diary of a Teen Writer.) 

1. A Christmas story 
    Because of this tradition, which I first read about in The Tailor of Gloucester: “But it is in the old story that all the beasts can talk, in the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the morning (though there are very few folk that can hear them, or know what it is that they say).” This screams magic and strangeness and I NEED to write about it. I’d also love to sneak in a A-Christmas-Carol-like vibe. Something along these lines…

        

Because A Muppet Christmas Carol is the BEST version. Ever.

                     

2. A funny story
It doesn't get much vaguer than this, but I love wacky plots and outrageous characters. I hope there’s an element of both in most of my stories, but I’d love to write something where I can give humor free rein.   

3. A story with a Dear Frankie-ish vibe
This movie is lovely--almost like a modern day fairy tale. There’s something about the mood and aesthetic of it that's incredibly inspiring.  

4. A mystery/crime story
Born of my undying love for three TV shows--Sherlock (of course), Criminal Minds, and Liquidation (a Russian miniseries set in the Ukrainian city of Odessa after World War II). 

5. A story with pirates
Because I love sea stories in general and pirate stories in particular. Also, I will never tire of this song: 

6. A Neil Gaiman rip-off 
I’ll never stop being influenced by this guy. His books are full of strangeness--a sense that magic and danger lurk just beneath the surface of ordinary life. I would really, really like to replicate it (in my own way, of course). 

7. A story inspired by Greek mythology
Rick Riordan has pretty much cornered the market on all things mythology-related…for now. Any story I write would actually be inspired by a few things: actual Greek myths, Percy Jackson, and Disney’s Hercules (both the movie and the Disney Channel TV show). 
                                        


8. A story about sisters  
  I live with three of them, so I have PLENTY of experiences to draw on. I don’t think they’re enough books out there with realistic sister relationships--the kind where they’re as likely to do your makeup and say you look gorgeous as to tell you that you look like the Elephant Woman while kicking you off their bed. 
    
9. A fairy tale
Do I even need to explain this? I’d especially love to write something inspired by British folktales--"Tam Lin", "A Fine Field of Flax", "Mossycoat".  

November Reading Recap: Pirates & Road Trips

   Confession time--I actually finished a few of these books (very) late in October. I have no idea why I didn't read more this November. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've grown into my computer.

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
“Here is the story of Peter Pan recast as a love triangle set in the endless summer of the modern-day California coast.” 
Lost boys run away to Neverland Kensington, an abandoned beach community,  to get hooked on fairy dust and surf. The love triangle resolves itself after a few chapters and the rest of the story oozes the same surreal, wonderfully sad vibe that I loved in Peter Pan.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
The Girl With All the Gifts is my second zombie book, and I enjoyed it much more than I did my first (The End Games). My opinion may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I pictured Ms. Justineau looking exactly like Martha Jones.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney
Hilarious, as usual.

Spook School by Sue Purkiss
I've had a thing for funny chapter books ever since I discovered the Time Warp Trio years and years and years ago. Spook School is right up my alley--despite the menacing In-Spectres and his horribly old-fashioned teacher, Sir Rupert, Spooker Batt must try his best to pass his Practical Haunting exam. I received this book in a giveaway hosted by Sue Purkiss at her fantastic blog, A fool on a hill....

Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine
This is a book I always meant to read as a kid (10-11ish) but never did. If I had (and if I’d actually taken its advice, which, considering my 11-year-old self, I HIGHLY doubt) I’d have become a much better writer much faster. This book has some great exercises, plus fun extras like the original beginning of The Two Princesses of Bamarre. 

Jackaby by William Ritter

Fun, funny, and a little bit spooky. It does have a bit of a Sherlock/Doctor Who feel, but stands on its own just as well.
“ ‘Well, if we didn't sail together, how did you ever--ah, you must have snuck a peek at my luggage labels.’
‘I did nothing of the sort. That would be an impolite invasion of privacy,’ the man stated flatly as he picked a bit of lint from my sleeve, tasted it, and tucked it somewhere inside his baggy coat.” 

Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion
You could say Treasure Island and I have a rocky relationship. When my Mom tried to read it to out loud my sisters and I made her stop after the first few chapters. (Two words: Blind Pew) A few years later I read it for school and hated it. A few more years later I watched two very good and very faithful movie adaptations (Muppet Treasure Island and Treasure Planet) and decided to give it another try. I adored Treasure Island the third time around. Silver, aside from not having as much of the title character as I was expecting, is a much grimmer and more philosophical story. Honestly, I’m not sure what I think of it.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
I checked this one out based on Cait’s recommendation over at The Book Chewers, and I adored it. Talking skeletons, secret names, dry humor, wax museums…it’s a glorious cocktail of weirdness that you need to try. Now.
 

  So, what did you read this November? And do you have any recommendations?