Magical Girl Sweater Contest

Ta~da!  My entry for confessionsofamagicalgirl.blogspot.com's Magical Girl Sweater Contest.  Not one of my finer pieces of art, but I like the concept of it, which is all that counts.  I like the simplicity of it.  I chose the dark blue fading to white because blue is my favorite color, but moreover because in winter you get the dark blue of the night sky that contrasts with white snow.  The diamonds on the neckline represent ice crystals/icicles found in winter.  This was super fun, thanks for hosting the competition, Mew Kayla!

At Least I Can Write About This Authentically

Yesterday was the last day of finals.  It also happens to be the day I woke up to intense agony.  No, not the I've-been-studying-myself-to-death pain, but the pain of my body being on fire (especially by my bladder and kidneys), my stomach roiling with nausea, and an acute stabbing feeling in the right side of the back.

This was about six thirty in the morning.  My mom handed me two ibuprofen, which I puked up about fifteen minutes later.  And continued to puke, at fifteen-minute intervals.  The sad thing was that it felt good to upchuck, because then I wasn't feeling the pain in my back.  My mom thought it was a kidney infection and my dad thought it was a stone, but we'd have to take me to the doc either way.

Luckily for me, I got to wait three and a half hours to be taken anywhere.  My dad had to be at home because some guy was coming to fix our broken garage door, and my mom had to go to first period of class and arrange for a sub for the rest of the day.  On a scale of one to ten, I started at a pain level of eight.  It went up by one number every hour.  The only thing that helped at all was to pace around the house between throwing up. It was all I could do to not scream from the pain, and/or throttle my dad for not driving me to the flipping hospital already.

Finally, my mom and I went to the Instacare place in Provo.  On the TV was Tinkerbell, Secret of the Wings.  Watching that helped a little.  When the doctor got in, he asked if I wanted my mom to be there for some 'invasive questions' he was going to ask me.  He really should've been more blunt, because I was in immense pain and not reading into things.  I thought he was going to ask about how many times a day I use the restroom.  Instead he was asking 'might you be pregnant' and other such nonsense.  'Are you sure?' he asked twice.  Seriously, I think I would know if I was pregnant.  Then he made a joke about how we were celebrating the only women to get pregnant without doing 'it' in all of history.  It took me about two minutes to figure out through the pain that he meant Mary.  Seriously, I was dying here, and he was cracking jokes?  I didn't like this doctor.

Finally he left, and a nurse came in with a shot for pain meds.  I'd thrown up three times in the hospital room since I'd gotten in, so there was no way I'd be able to keep any pills down.  The nurse told me it would take about half an hour to kick in.  That was the longest half-hour of my life.  The doc told us it was either an infection or a stone, he needed me to go to the radiology place and get scanned.  By the time we got to the radiology section of the hospital, I was downright cheerful.

I was no longer in pain.  That was all I'd wanted in the first place.  I nearly fell asleep at the radiology check-in place.  I almost fell asleep when I had to lay down on the bed-thing that they put you on to run you through the UV scanner.

It turned out to be a kidney stone, 2 millimeters large.  I was like, 'What?  I thought only older people got kidney stones.'  I was wrong.  Anyways, my kidney stone was half the size of a pencil eraser, and it was causing me so much pain?  Lame.  I got a nausea med prescription, and pain meds, and I was good to go.  We picked up Jack Frost from Redbox and got me a gigantic Slurpee to help pass the stone.  I caught a look at myself in the mirror at the store.  I looked pretty good for being in my PJs and having retched my heart out earlier.

All I need is to pass the stupid stone, and I'll be pain-free again.  The only final I missed was for Creative Writing, which I'm kind of mad about.  All I would've been doing was reading part of my ten-page project and eating a bunch of awesome sweets.  I submitted my project through e-mail.

*Sigh*  I'm coming off the pain meds I took this morning, and I'm not feeling any pain, so maybe I have passed it now.  In any case, at least now I can give one of my characters a kidney stone and write about it effectively.  Please, friends, drink lots of liquids and if you feel the pain I've just mentioned, get yourself to Instacare, preferably without waiting hours.

Mahou Shoujo and My Laptop

So, my laptop has been on the brink of death for the last week.  Incredibly slow, as in I-take-five-minutes-to-load-one-page-and-only-if-it-pleases-me-foolish-mortal slow.  I pulled out my ipod today and found a tip to make my laptop speed up.  All I had to do was shut down my laptop, hold the left shift, option, and apple buttons down for ten seconds, and presto!  I had a laptop again.  It was like magic (mahou shoujo being its latin name).  I raced into the kitchen to inform my brother of this magical feat.  His response?  "That's the RAM, Kayla.  Resetting the RAM makes your computer faster," he explained in his best simplify-it-for-the-technologically-inept voice.

I disagree.

I think it's a magical girl team fighting an evil techno-mastermind inside my computer, and holding down those three buttons sent out an SOS to the magical girl team alerting them of my distress.

Wherever they are out there, I thank the magical girl team for their tremendous help.  I'll leave snickerdoodles out for you guys tonight; eat them at your pleasure.

~CrimsonRuin

Hey, Look! There Goes Everything

Whelp, there goes the plan to keep this blog entirely writing-related.  Eh, I will mourn that later.  The past two months have been incredibly hectic, with good and bad spots-- more bad than good, I am afraid.  Work destroyed me, and I may or may not have had a meltdown about my biology class, and then I may or may not have gotten into a car crash (went in to the chiropractor, he says I have the equivalent of a sprained neck, but it'll be entirely gone in 4-6 weeks.  It's fine, just really sore, and I can't do any 'strenuous' activity for the next two weeks.  :(  There go my volleyball and treadmill plans).

I was feeling pretty dumpy last week, BUT lest you think I have fallen into the pits of depression, I will say that I have not.  Well, I kind of did, for a little while.  However, I have decided that I will not be a victim.  So, I may have to walk to college and back, and depend on my parents for rides to and from work.  So, I may have to double my study time to freaking figure out the biology chapters.  I can, and will do it.

Because I.  Will.  Not.  Be.  A.  Victim.

With that, I reinforce my efforts to be cheerful, and act cheerful, and be cheerfully productive, and speak like I'm cheerful.

How am I doing?  I'm doing great.  I may be slightly behind in Nanowrimo (about 15,000 words behind) but I'm going to figure it all out, don't worry.

I'm not giving up yet.  ~Crimson

Hello Earth, I'm Still Here

Aaaaaaand of course, just as I'm about to write this post, all my words desert me and I want to fall asleep.  Even though it is the middle of the afternoon and this is completely ridiculous.

In my creative writing class, we are in the unit of images.  I already knew a lot about images, that they drive your work, but I did learn something new.  Summaries should have images in them.  Slides, which transition scenes, should also have an image and a passing of time.  I look forward to seeing more examples of slides and practicing with them, because in the past, most of my transitions were rough.  To avoid that, I usually just triple star in the middle of the page and start the next scene, so slides should really help!

My first college test came and went.  I'm in Biology 1610, and... I got a D-turned-C (thank you modified bell curve!) on the test.  Which sucked because I studied long and hard for the test.  I also have another test this week in the same class, so hopefully it goes better.  For my work, I told them four days a week or less, so hopefully I regain my sanity.  My hope is to, at the start of November, go down to working only three days a week... or find a less-demanding job.

So, yeah, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I've just been busy (so busy.  And tired, but mostly busy).

-Crimson (and if I don't post again until November, you know why)

P.S. Nanowrimo is one month away, my friends.  PREPARE YOURSELVES!

It's Official

I am a college recluse.  *sigh*  Not out of choice, but necessity.  College is five days a week, work is five days a week, and I always have the evening shift.  People are always busy between noon and four.  After work (I get off at nine some days, and ten others) I could hang out with people... but I don't, because nine or ten is kind of late to start something anyways.

Good news for writing, though: between noon and four, I can only do homework and write... and mess around on the internet, but I get bored of that within an hour.

I'll end on a good note, though.  Last night, I was hit with a sudden craving to watch this really cool Youtube video I saw at least a year ago.  I couldn't remember the name of it until... after midnight, but when I did, I was so happy!  And yes, I then watched it at midnight.  If I end up cashiering at my work, I'll try the same thing. ^.^

College and Focus

I started college last week.  It's pretty much a cooler, more independent and more intense version of high school.  I'm keeping my job, too, so I'm busy in the evening and have most of my free time in the afternoon, which is kind of weird.  I'm taking a creative writing class, and it is so flipping cool.

I've only been in the class for a week, and already I have learned so much.  Lesson number one: be specific and show imagery.  One girl in the class said she wrote 'fun stuff', and the teacher (nicely) picked on her until she gave us something specific.  Why?  Because specifics give our brains an image to focus on!  And giving the reader an image is pretty much the most important thing in writing because that is when you transport the reader into another place.

Lesson number two was on focus!  Super helpful, this might end up being the best chapter in the whole book for me.  You should be writing every day (which I, for the most part, do) but I really like what it said about timing your writing.  Put the timer on for ten minutes and just go.  I did it, and it was amazing how fast I wrote.  This helps you to really get un-stuck if you're feeling unable to write.

Probably two of my favorite quotes from this chapter are:

"Remember: you will want to avoid writing.  All writers struggle with procrastination, writer's block, distraction, or laziness.  All successful writers develop strategies to deal with these issues.  Conquering not-writing is probably half the battle when you are taking a writing class.  Everyone struggles with this."

"Expect to get stuck at unpredictable times.  Plan on getting stuck just when things are going well; that is very common.  Good writers are good learners-- they pay attention to what it is that led them to being stuck."

It was amazing to read that in the book.  No wonder I've had times where I feel like I just can't or just don't know how to write: it's normal and it happens to everyone.  I could cry it makes me so happy to read that in something published.  The book gives all kinds of advice for getting un-stuck; my favorite thus far has been making a ritual to start and stop writing.  I use rituals all the time when playing volleyball, it never occurred to me to use it while writing.  My writing ritual is as simple as putting lotion on my hands before I begin writing and after I'm done.

Also, focus can apply to the rest of my college studies, as well as flow, when you're in that awesome trance-like state and you can picture everything you write.

What are your strategies for getting un-stuck?

~Crimson

Blunder And Stumble, But Still Moving Forward

It's been a bit since I've blogged, hasn't it?  Rest assured, I haven't turned into a zombie and succumbed to the apocalypse... yet.

My job was a little overwhelming, mostly because I was unused to spending the long hours on my feet.  However, having a job actually encourages me to spend my time more wisely (do not check facebook, do not check e-mail, do not check facebook, do not repeat) on more important things, since I really don't have the time to procrastinate.

I have still been writing.  It has still been slower than what I would prefer, but it's still coming.  About a week ago, I was having plot problems (AGAIN) and I found another writer's blog (he also is an agent, I believe) and he wrote that he works only with people who follow the formula he does when creating a story.

First, a logline.  This is a short, three-sentence blurb about your book.  The one I did was one sentence, since I still didn't really know where in the heavens my plot was.  The second thing he does is make an aristotelian plot line (that jagged line with exposition, rising action, etc).

Before I made mine, I decided to make a model plot line off of one of the most successful 'stories' of date: the Avengers.  I also added where the three acts of the story begin and end.  To keep from making it too complicated, I used the titles of scene selections from the movie.  It took me at least half an hour, but it was so worth it when I sat down to make my plotline.

Aaaand... I was too lazy to do the rest of the things the writer pointed out, since I do enjoy my bit of creative liberty (pantsing).  But having the plotline written out in front of me really does help.  I had to make some changes to my story to aline it with my plotline, and delete some passages, but I'm about 1/7th of the way into my story with a clear path to travel.

Next time I write a book, please have someone slap me across the face and tell me 'Don't forget to make a plot line!'

P.S. In non-writing news, my mom and I played in a volleyball tournament last Saturday.  We split (lost one game, then won one game) with a team of girls who played for a big college in the area.  It was awesome!

Unstoppable, dattebayo!

I've decided to quit worrying about things and DO them.  Worried about college?  I'm pulling out my AP Psych textbook and re-learning a few things.  Worried about getting my animal handler's permit at the zoo?  E-mailed my supervisor and got an extension, and I'm pretty close to getting it.  Worried about working two jobs?  I went to both of them today, and it wasn't too bad.  Worried about writing when I can't think up a scene?  I've decided to write anyways.  Even if it turns out to be uninspired, random, and out of chronological order, I'm going to beat this draft like a pinata until it's done!

A Youtube video made me rethink what the crap I was doing on the internet when there were worthier things to be done.  It isn't this one, but it's made by the same person, and it's called Unstoppable (blogspot wouldn't let me pull it up, for whatever reason).  This one, Dream, is pretty good as well.

Go for it, dattebayo!

~Crimson

In Which Crimson Gets A Job Or Two

I don't even know how it happened.  Jobless for two months, and now... let me explain.  I've been contacting Little Ceasars and Savers regularly in the past two weeks.  In my interview with Savers the other day, they pretty much told me I had a job with them, but they had to make sure I was available for re-hire (I worked there last year as a Costume Consultant-- it was great).  I also went into Little Ceasars today, and I found out I had the job there.  So I signed papers, watched a training video, and now I work there!  Sweetness.

And then, just now, Savers called me and were all 'Yeah, you're available for re-hire.  The hiring manager told me to offer you a position.  Are you still interested in that?'  And I said yes.  I start Savers Monday, and Little Ceasars on Thursday.

Somehow, I have ended up with two jobs, hired on the same day.

I'm really confused.  I'll probably end up keeping both jobs for two weeks, and then choose the one I like best.  I'll probably end up choosing Savers, the coworkers there are fun.  ...Something like that.   Oh, I just heard a funny noise.  I think it was my head exploding.  Bye now.

(Everybody Loves Crimson & Daryl)

-Crimson Ruin

Auntie Heather And The Minion Horde

I first met Auntie in the form of her book Eighth Grade Bites.  The paragraph at the back of the book made me curious about her.  I love books, and I love people who make them.  So, after I read Eighth Grade Bites, I went online and found her blog.  I love what Auntie Heather writes so much more after the entire Vlad series, following the blog, and starting into the Slayer Chronicles and Legacy of Tril.  She also has some pretty great writing tips.  I think somewhere along the line, I forgot my favorite of her writing tips: butt + chair = writing.

I am a minion.  A minion is someone who has read Auntie Heather's books and likes them.  Collectively, we are known as the Minion Horde.  It's fantastic, really.

I met her in person once!  She was talking about herself and her books at a bookstore in the city.  It was awesome, and I got my books signed.  I was pretty stoked to meet her, because she's someone I look up to.  I also tied for first place in her haiku contest which was amazing (though I never actually received said prize, but that's okay, because being chosen out of almost 400 people is awesome).

I know Auntie Heather better now-- or rather, I have a more accurate sense of who she is (saying I know her better when I've only met her once in person may make me sound like kind of a creeper).  She has a fantastic blog, her facebook posts are entertaining, and recently she's started a vlog.  I love these vlogs.  The vlogs are kind of long, and the picture quality isn't amazing, but I love them because it's just Auntie Heather and the Minion Horde having fun and talking with one another.

Become a minion.  Join the Horde. 

Butt + chair = writing.

~Crimson

Ho Snap! Crimson is back!

I don't know exactly why... but I snapped out of my writing funk and just wrote 1300 words.  It's not that much, but it's enough to put me back on track.  I was reviewing a chapter of my friend's novel, and I think that may have been what started my creativity again.  I looked back at my fan fiction, and read through it again, and it reminded me of my style.

Suddenly, I could see my way around the scene that had me flummoxed for forever (two-three weeks).  I still don't have the exact plot worked out, but that's the way books are written: scene by scene.  No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.  I am very surprised, and I'm very excited to once more fall in love with writing, so to speak.  I only have one question:  Is this the light at the end of the tunnel, or is this the rising action and the dark night of the soul is to come?  I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out by creating a story! 

I still don't have a job, I still don't see friends much, and I'm still not playing volleyball, but for me, this is enough.  

I'm stealing my life zest back if it kills me, dattebayo!

~CrimsonRuin

Lost: Life Zest. If Found, Please Return

I'm usually pretty upbeat.  I deal with life-crap and move on; I don't like to dwell on misfortune.  But in the last two or three weeks, my life-energy seems to have taken a nose dive.  Basically, the problem is that I like to be a fairly busy person, and I feel like I'm standing still, doing nothing.

I don't have a job, school doesn't start 'til fall, I hardly see my friends (with my little brother going to play with his friends EVERY DAY, it's a very acute reminder), I'm not playing volleyball, and probably the worst thing yet: my story has no plot.  No plot = no writing.  I have strong characters, but without a strong plot, without a strong drive... a story doesn't exist.

I haven't written in days. I read fan fiction and I don't do much else.  I'm trying to find motivational blogs, books, anything that will help, but nothing is really pulling me out of the slums.

SOS, loss of life zest, if found, please return.

-Crimson

Post-Book Syndrome

Great news, peeps!  I finished it!  The fan fiction I've been working on, that is.  It's been so fast, so fun, and so strenuous, I loved it!  I'll be posting it chapter by chapter onto fanfiction.net.  It's 51,000 words total, 100 pages.

So... after I've celebrated, what next?  I could and maybe should go back to the book I was working on before this, but I don't really want to.  I could go back and edit my first book, which is in desperate need of editing and major revision.  But I don't really want to do that either.

I want a shiny, new idea to work on.  I want to write another book for July's Nanowrimo.  It's just weird to be idle (though it is my own fault).  However, unlike other writers, I don't have an overflow of really good ideas.

Anyways, I'll keep plugging along and see what I can find.  'Til next time, everyone!

~Crimson

This Isn't Nanowrimo, But It Should Be

I haven't blogged in a bit.  There are beautiful, beautiful distractions that have kept my mind away away from blogging.

Okay, well, some of them are beautiful.  I was in the midst of slowly plowing through the first draft of a manuscript when BAM!  A story hit me in the face like a block of gold.  For about an hour or so, I tried to encourage the thought to stay in my mind and then drift away from me.  I didn't want to actually write down my idea because first of all, I was in the middle of writing another book, and secondly (probably the most important) it was fan fiction.  Nothing I would be able to publish or show to people outside of the fandom.

But the idea prevailed and I started writing.  And writing.  And writing.  It was the most focused I'd been on any project in a long, long while.  By the end of the first week, I had over 20,000 words written.  Twenty.  Thousand.  Words.  That may not seem like much to some of my writing friends, but for me it was a downright miraculous feat.  I've never won Nanowrimo.  I usually find it strenuous enough to write a thousand words a day.  And there I was, with over twenty thousand words in a single week.  If I could keep it up, I would have a novel done in less than three weeks.

Well, since then I've slowed down just a little (life tends to get in the way of one's writing) but I'm coming up on the end of Week Two and I'm at about 36,000 words and still have today to write.  It's been getting harder to write, but I'm not going to give up and go back to the old me of writing only a thousand words in a day.  Fan fiction though it may be, this feels like some of the best writing I've ever accomplished in my entire life, and it feels GREAT!

Ooh, It's EXCITING!

Item Numero Uno:  I wrote today.  I've been lazy, afflicted by this 'writer's block' (a disease I refuse to believe in), and completely unmotivated.  But really, I have way too much time on my hands, so I wrote today.  Over 1,500 words.  I deserve applause.

Not really.  I actually deserve to be smacked upside the head, but that's a little more unpleasant.  HOWEVER!  What's really exciting is the motivation I've been finding!  I have found three things that have motivated me to write:

1. Past Nanowrimo pep talks (and if you don't know what Nanowrimo is, look it up.  Look it up NOW).

2. Nanowrimo songs (yes, I know it's not Nanowrimo, but it should be writing month for me every month).

3. The blog of Miss Snark's First Victim.  I missed their critique day, but I've had a lot of fun reading the entries and comments of entries and I've really enjoyed it.  I think just from reading the critiques I've gotten better at writing.  No, seriously.  I'm a bit disappointed about the quality of my writing now, but that's important!  That is good!  Because it means that I'm improving my craft.

Don't be afraid of getting better.  Be afraid of staying the same.

~Crimson

The Pre-Life Crisis-- Ner, That Didn't Come Out Right

I've noticed something.  Something very interesting about our society.  When people become 'adults' they sort of disappear.  You see 'adult' friends on occasion, but for the most part they disappear.  They work, they go to college, they get married, or they move away.  You don't see them at school.

Then poof!  You graduate high school.  You can now see the invisible people, and you lose your old life structure.  Is this what they call 'growing up'?  I can't believe that such a loose term applies to me.  Because it doesn't.

It's just weird, right now.  Public school has been my life since kindergarten, and all I know is that when people graduated high school they disappeared, and adults popped into existence when they got married and moved into the neighborhood.  With four kids.

This is going to take a while to process.  I'm going to try to ignore the weird, and just focus on... other stuff.  Other interesting stuff.  Yeaaaah.

-Crimson

"Die"

I have two things to say today.

One:  I have decided to call Divergent, by Veronica Roth, Di-freaking-vergent.  Why?  Because it sounds cool, and I like the 'Di' sound to be by itself. :)

and Two:  I was pretty flipping angry and/or stressed out today.  FAJITAS!  (which is my own made up expletive.  It sounds right when it comes out of my mouth, so it's what I say.) 

Let me explain:  I was supposed to get my TB test today because I volunteer at the zoo.  My oh-so loving father made me drive myself to the clinic.  I've been there ONCE in the past year, and he provided me with no driving instructions and no other help whatsoever.  And he was pushing me out of the house as fast as possible.

So I drove.  And drove and drove and drove.  Until I figured I missed a turn, pulled off into some parking lot, and fought back tears as I called my mom.  Yeah, the street I turned on was __ PKWY. and not __ AVENUE.  Same name, except for the end of it.  At least my mom had my back, even though I had to call her, call her school about three times, and then call her AGAIN before she came and helped me find the stupid place.

In two weeks, my stupid school gets out and I graduate.  At least that's something to look forward to.  Suuuuuummmmmmmmer, claim me as thine own.

-Crimson

P.S.  Veronica Roth's blog is cool, and I'm taking her advice about word vomit.  That is all.

Yo, Anybody Miss Me?

Of course not.  I'm not that popular.  But that's pretty much my own fault for not updating.  I have a few more recent posts on my other blog, inkersblog.weebly.com.  Check it out if you're not busy.

Update:  So, two of my really close friends started blogs, so I figured I would re-start this thing.  It will still mostly be centered around writer troubles, but it will include random life stuff too.

Oh, and I found a really great place to find short story contests!  It's http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contests.html.  The person who does it updates it frequently, so it should be great.  Some contests require entry fees, but not all of them.  Good luck, fellow writers!

~Crimson