(31) Days of Summer

...a shitster will be throwing a shoe at another shitster Reader, the moment is upon us. I would like to make my last post before the month of writing starts to be on the most exciting topic: Writing Snacks. I went grocery shopping this afternoon to get the snacks, and here they are, in order of importance: Silver Bullets (Tall boy cans!) Chocolate covered pretzels Sour gummy worms Spicy roasted chickpeas Gummy dinosaurs M & M peanuts Trail mix Also, I will be listening to Jack's Mannequin "Everything in Transit" and Bright Eyes "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" during my writing session tonight. It feels like it fits the tone of my novel. And I will have Jack's Mannequin lyrics as quotes at the beginning of each of my chapters. And in that spirit, Reader, I leave you with this nugget, from my anthem for NaNoWriMo : "I wake up to find it's another four-aspirin morning and I dive in..." - Jack's Mannequin, I'm Ready Ready,...

I've been planning away, and all of it is still in my notebook so I decided to share a little bit with you, Reader. My main characters name is Julie York. This is a working name, it may change. I'm not completely committed to it yet. Julie is 28 years old, and a primary school teacher. Haven't decided what she'll look like. She will live in either London or Toronto, yet to be decided. She has been dating her live-in boyfriend, James Sawyer, for 9 years, 5 of which they have been sharing their London/Toronto apartment. They met in university. He was a photography major, and she did something that is yet to be decided. She went on to go to teacher's college, and is currently a primary teacher at a school in London/Toronto. He went on to become a wedding photographer, but has greater aspirations. We will find out a lot more about these two, and their history, as the story unfolds. Even though this story is about Julie and James' wedding, I'm not sur...

Alright, I just finished reading all of the blogs I missed when I was Lost (I have to admit, I think that line is hilarious, so prepare yourselves, Readers, for a LONG 30 days if my sense of humour disagrees with you.) And I decided to put all my comments in one blog. Mainly because I am lazy, but also because I feel the need to blog twice in a period of roughly 20 minutes to make up for two weeks without a peep. I am SO SO SO excited to read all of your novels, and write mine along with you. I feel that I really missed out last year, even though it was clearly worth it. But now, you are all working on your sophomore efforts, and this is my first time. You all know your writing voice, and I still have to find mine. It's exciting, and it's scary. And I am so ready to just dive right in. Indigo - I loved your characters from the last book, and I am so interested to see how they maneuver in this new setting with this totally different plot. I've also found myself t...

It has been a long time, dear Friends, and I am truly sorry for that. It seems that since I started watching Lost, I have been able to do nothing but sit in front of the TV. But, today, Scott and I went out and bought a notebook (for him, as I already had one) and some great pens. Since it is rainy, we had time to sit down and talk about books instead of working on Dad's garden (which is a masterpiece to be admired by all on Waterloo writing weekends. I think it will really help create some great writing atmosphere.) So here they are, my "Good" and "Evil" Magna Cartas. These lists are far from complete, as I love and detest millions of things in novels. But I made the effort: Magna Carta I, the "Good": Character-driven plots Flawed characters, but endearingly flawed Redeeming characteristics Awkwardness Unknowns Justice Lifelong friends Interesting backstories True love/Real love Sarcasm Stephen King-ish writing (mainly because it is familiar an...

Last night, I found something that has to be included in one of our novels. I don't know how, but I know why: because it is the most hilarious/disturbing thing I have ever seen. In Scott's Dad's basement, I looked over and saw this small floormat, adorned with the words "I Don't Call 911" and featuring a hand holding a pistol . Nothing like a floormat endorsing vigilante justice to set the mood in a room.

Three words can be used to describe this piece of work: Worst. Book. Ever. Never in my life have I been so offended by a piece of writing. That is likely because I have never read Twilight . However, there is one important similarity between this author's writing style, and Stephanie Meyer's writing style: Excessive and inappropriate use of the thesaurus (making her seem simultaneously stupid and pretentious). My personal favourite word: Proffered (why not just say offered?). Here is a wonderful example of her writing style: At the center of the article is a photograph of the bridal pair, taken in a dim grotto that houses one of the aquarium's main exhibits, where a fine-boned, patrician bride and her lanky, goateed groom stand silhouetted, looking into the vast tank. Their hands are clasped, their reflections faint in the thick glass. Beyond, in the bright starry water, two enormous Beluga whales gaze back at the couple, cherubic smiles on their blunt, mild snouts. ...

Just went out to the public library and got a shiny new library card, and some thoroughly embarassing picks. I spent a great deal of time on the internet today (well, 10 minutes) trying to find romantic comedies involving weddings (especially those involving the planning of a wedding), but by the end I was rocking back and forth and giggling to myself in the corner, while slowly pulling my own hair out. The world of romantic comedies involving weddings is a dark, dark place. I place that I don't want to visit, Reader. But for the sake of my novel, I am willing to go to this dark place. You wouldn't think that writing a light-hearted comedy about a wedding would involved going to a dark place, but it does, Reader. It does. Wedding Season is novel about Joy Silverman and her boyfriend, Gabriel Winslow, who are "perfect for each other", but never want to get married. Ever. Unfortunately, when wedding season comes around, Joy finds that she is required to attend...

I am finally done reading all the novels from last year's NaNoWriMo. First up: Rogue Intelligence . Riveting. I hung on every word, and was totally surprised by the ending. I loved the writing style, and thought it was really really well done. Thoroughly impressed. As I was reading, I loved learning more and more about these characters. There was so much mystery surrounding them. And so much betrayal! It must be hard to be a spy. It reminded me a lot of Alias, and other spy-like things. I thought all the little tricks were so neat, and it really seemed like you did a lot of research! Overall: loved this book! I was shocked and appalled, and it left me wanting more. I can't wait for this year's offering. Second to bat: Can You Hear the Drums, Fernando? Hilarious. I can't say that I loved it as much as Scott did. But I can't really say that anyone loved it as much as Scott did. I believe he squealed ( I actually have to do an in person imitation of his ...

So I haven't blogged in awhile. A little shameful, but I had nothing to blog about. Moving, packing, and unpacking is boring as sh*t, and possibly a fate worse than death, and I wasn't about to bore you, dear Reader, with the details. Consider yourself lucky. Last night, I started reading Jill's "Square One". And I just finished it 30 minutes ado. An excellent NaNoWriMo effort. Scratch that, and excellent effort. I loved it from page 1 to page 191. I loved the writing style, I loved the plot, and most of all, I loved the characters. When I read a novel, I get deeply involved in the characters lives. Empathize with them, etc... And "Square One" was no exception. I didn't want it to end, and am now sad that it did. One thing I noticed was that the writing style changed slightly over the course of the book. Jill, you really came into your own in terms of your writing voice. And, truth be told, it reminded me a lot (in a good way) of Steph...