Goodbye, Summer

  It just hit me today that classes start next week, and even though I should've been up at the crack of dawn starting all the last-minute projects I want to squeeze in before the vacation is gone, I woke up at 8:30 and was bored all day (except when I was reading about bird-watching in an old encyclopedia while playing Scotland Yard with my brother and sister). I know I'll look back later in the semester and wish I could have those hours back.
   Anyway, I wanted a picture for this post, so I went outside, and Almost Lover started playing in my head. It's not about summer, but still it's a goodbye song.

Goodbye, my almost lover

                              Goodbye, my hopeless dream...

So long, my luckless romance...

Should've known you'd bring me heartache

Almost lovers always do

Whoops!

   Whoops, sorry! I just realized that there were pieces missing in the dialogue of "Charles and Winnie". Here is the fixed audio story (I linked the previous post to the fixed one, too). It should make more sense now.

Charles and Winifred

Charles and Winifred

   "The Umbrella: Part Two" is still in the process, but I thought I'd post "Charles and Winifred" while you're waiting. It's set during World War II. Charles is an English soldier and aspiring writer, and the Mullins's (Mum, Winnie, Eddie) are dear friends.
   Rina worked hard on it yesterday and today to clean up the dialogue and add music/effects. Click on the red link below and to the right. Enjoy~I hope you laugh as much as we do! (The quality is better if you use speakers and not headphones)

 Charles and Winifred

   Btw, would you rather have your own imagination of the characters, or should I tell you who Charles looks like?

My Bookshelf

   If I hadn't gotten The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (by Rebecca Skloot) in the mail with instructions to read it by the 14th, I probably wouldn't have started it, and if I had I probably wouldn't have finished it. But I did all three.

   It's a non-fiction book that deals with the Lacks family, science, and ethics. There's a good synopsis Skloot's website, but as for style...

   It's told in three parts: life, death, and immortality. Life and death are both semi-novel style, with little flashes forward to Skloot's life. Immortality is more about her research journey and the people she met along the way. Even though a lot of it is about cancer, cells, tissue donation, and law suits, it's described simply enough that I understood it. What I like about Skloot's narration is that it's so conversational. It feels like she's sitting across from you and actually telling you the story.

 

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  I'm slowly making my way through Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. The characters are rather silly people, but it's fun just to read a chapter or two a day (especially because each chapter is almost like a mini-story within the book). It's set in the mid-1800's in the town of Cranford, which is full of old gossipy ladies with interesting pasts. If you've read Jane Austen's novels, it's a step down, but it might still be interesting to you.

   I also just started A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Boxen, and I keep wanting to reread The Hiding Place.

   What's on your shelf?

Fan Fiction

       I get the impression that fan fiction is rather frowned upon in the writing world, and I can understand why. It's not original. Everything from the characters, to the tone, to the setting, to the dialogue, to the theme is all based on someone else's idea. But I think fanfic can be fun, creative, and good writing practice. It's like cookies. They're delicious, and as long as you don't eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and sit around like a couch potato, they are just fine for you!

    So guess what...I'm posting a fanfic story for you to read! Here are my two disclaimers:

1. I've read fan stories and been totally mortified. If other people's imaginations of your favorite characters annoys you, just carry on with what you were doing before you started reading this.
2. This story is based on the season 7 of the TV show, 24, so if you're not a fan, this probably won't be interesting.

      Have a laugh, and tell me what you think! The Presidential Endeavor.

Audio, Exercise, and What You Know

       The audiobook for Part II of The Umbrella is under way! It's still in the very first stages, so it will probably be a while, but hopefully the quality will be better. Keep an eye out for it.

     I sat most of the day. I was either writing, reading, playing piano, recording audio or eating (I stood up to eat my snack cause I felt so lazy). But I did get up early to run, and throughout the day I went up and down the stairs to take care of the guinea pigs and to dump a leak-catching bucket.

     My only comment on writing is that sometimes just starting to ask someone else for help makes you realize you already know the answer. I did that twice today when I couldn't figure out how to make the plot work. I asked my sister, "What should I do at this part, because Helen something-something..." And then I answered my own question and went to write again. Later I was really stuck and started to type a long message describing The Umbrella's storyline so my friend could give me ideas, but after it was two paragraphs long, I noticed that I was already planning how the problem would be resolved. Huh. What do you know? Maybe more than you think.

Happy August!

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    After weeks and weeks of trudging through my writing, whatever was blocking me finally crumbled and got washed away. I wrote almost all day yesterday, changing positions every couple hours to keep my legs and arms from falling asleep. This is the most fun I've had writing since during school when I was writing about one-eyed Thibault (that was before I started The Well).

     I'm on a roll with the continuation of "The Umbrella" (just a short story for now). One thing that helps is that I have an audience to get feedback from after every section. Another thing is music. It blocks out distractions and helps me focus, especially when the mood matches. Also, I actually know what's going to happen next, and most of the kinks in the plot are straightening out. My 24 knowledge is serving me well, although having an FBI expert to  consult would be quite handy.

       Finally, my cast of characters is helping me. Besides borrowing Gwyneth Paltrow for Helen, Jeremy Renner for the umbrella man, Landon Donovan for Clyde, and Rhys Coiro for Toby, I've also borrowed a few people from work. They fit in, and they all *play well with others*. It's not a new idea to write people from real life into your story, but if I did it before, it never worked this well! I got up around 8:00 and got some of the things on my to-do list done, so I think I'll go write now...

*Tony Stark voice