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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Writers' Tip #5

Jolly well done, everyone!

Slow week on the writing front. The interview is still on, and Leticia's still trying to sell my other manuscripts (as far as I know). And I'm late again, but that's because of all the reading I've been doing for school. Since there's little to write about, time for a Writers' Tip.

But one little tidbit of book-related news; I bought a copy of J.K. Rowling's new book The Casual Vacancy. Can't wait to start reading it, though that probably won't happen until Christmas break. If you've already read it, NO SPOILERS PLEASE!

Ahem, now for tip five.

Write how you want to. And I'm not talking about style (I've talk about that next time), but material and environment. Find those that fit you. J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter on a little notepad in a cafe in Edinburgh (which I need to visit when I'm over here!). I write on my Apple laptop lying down on my bed in my room. Find your own place to write; it can be anywhere as long as you're able to be progressive and you don't get distracted. Paper and pen or a computer; there are both positive and negative connotations for each, but use whatever you're comfortable with. ALTHOUGH, I highly recommend you keep a typed copy on a computer and saved on a jump drive so you don't risk completely losing your manuscript.

And Weekly (Dis)Likes.

Like 1: Young Justice is airing new episodes again! Can't wait to see what happens. Hopefully Miss Martian and Superboy will get back together! And yes, I'm a proud cartoon junky. You're never too old to be one!

Like 2: My new dress. Bought it for five pounds at one of the many resale shops in the area. It's black and gray stripes with long sleeves, circular pockets, and a hood. I'll wash it with tomorrow's laundry and wear it on Tuesday. :)

Dislike 1: Carl Freeman. I'm sure you're a nice person in person, but dude, you need to learn casual writing. It's a miracle I can understand half of the stuff you say about SF.

Dislike 2: My creative non-fiction essay. Finished the rough draft, but it was harder than I thought it would be. I HATE NONFICTION!!

And, end quote!

"We must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men." -Monsignor, The Boondock Saints

Tata for now,
Colleen

Sunday, September 23, 2012

My First Interview!

Good day everyone! Again, only one day late.

Have a fabulous email to share:

"My name is Megan and I am from the UK. I am having an event on my blog in January 2013 to celebrate YA debuting bloggers in 2013. I was given you name by Kate Kaynak at Spencer Hill Press and I was wondering would you be up for an interview as part of the event to talk about Swamp Angel?"

Yep! That's right. I'm going to have an interview over my book!

The blog Megan writes, Reading Away The Days, is quite big and gets a decent amount of traffic. I'm guessing Kate was looking around for ways to spread the news about TSA, and she found it. Thank you Kate! :)

As for details, the event doesn't happen until January (like the email says), and the questions should come in November. But I'll be sure to tell you guys all about it.

Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: My classes. Probably said that last week, but now that I've experienced a week of them I can be more sure. My Creative Writing class is awesome; right now we're working on creative nonfiction, and the professor is very pleasant to listen to. My Science Fiction class is taught by a woman (go females!) and though she can be a little too fast while giving us notes, she clearly knows her subject. Both classes have lots of reading and writing, but I like that for the most part, so it's all good.

Like 2: My new St. Andrews sweatshirt. It's green and soft and not too heavy. :)

Like 3: The Perks of Being A Wallflower. Saw the movie preview. Looks awesome. Love Emma Watson. Really need to read the book.
Like 4: My blisters are starting to heal. I'm getting used to the walking.

Dislike 1: The price of laundry. At my regular school, washing and drying is 75 cents each. Over here, it's 2 pounds to wash, 1 to dry. And since 1 pound equals maybe a dollar and a half of American money, I'm paying a lot for clean clothes. :\

And, quote!

Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
Albert Einstein

Buh-bye!
Colleen

Monday, September 17, 2012

I'm In SCOTLAND!!!

Yes, again with the lateness. But if you read the title, I have an excuse:

I'M IN SCOTLAND!!!!!!

That's right. I'm studying abroad, in a beautiful, active little town called St. Andrews as I attend the University of St. Andrews. (It's where Will and Kate met, do'cha know?) I came over here last Saturday, September 7th, and I've been doing orientation stuff all week getting ready for classes. Between that, preparatory reading for one of my classes, learning where's what, and getting used to the time change, I haven't had time to write.

Not that much is going on in the writing world. I'm still working with Rich on publishing, and everything's going fine. The biggest news to happen is that Leticia has read another book manuscript of mine, and she wants to try and sell it (I said yes, of course). The book is called BURN IN LIGHT, and it's a supernatural ghost story.

Now, the (Bi)Weekly (Dis)Likes!

Like 1: The fact I'm in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Like 2: The town. It's small, adorable, and has such beautiful buildings and an array of interesting little shops I need to check out out on a free day.
Like 3: My dorm room. It's spacious with plenty of breathing room for me and my roommate.
Like 4: My roommate. Her name's Sam, and she's awesome. She's nice, quiet, and we get along well. I hope we can become great friends.
Like 5: The food. Biscuits and tea every day. Yum.
Like 6: My classes. St. Andrews works with a system where the student has to do 120 credits worth of classes each year, 60 per semester. I'm staying here for a semester, and have two classes both worth 30 credits: Creative Writing I and Science Fiction (which was what I had to do the reading for). I'm excited and looking forward to them, and hope studying for them goes smoothly.

Dislike 1: The distance. The David Russell Apartments, where my dorm is, is right outside of town AND on the opposite side of town from where my classes are taking place. Which means I have to walk 30-45 minutes across town to get to said classes, or anywhere else for that matter. Very annoying, and I can't help but wish I was in one of the apartments in town. But at least with all this walking I'm getting plenty of exercise. :P

And quote!

Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.  
"Do not give into evil, but proceed evermore boldly against it."  Virgil, Aeneid, Book VI

From the UK, tallyho!
Colleen