The Novel

Thanks to the gathering of my ideas, a great writing mentor (Thank you Katherine!), and squeezing in free time, I finally feel like I can say I'm writing a novel. It's such a strange feeling, and I have no clue how it all will work out, but I have dreams of being right up there with Robert Jordan and Terry Brooks. I could venture to say it will be a trilogy, but who knows! Now, I'll be story journaling and plotting till my head hurts. Time for a hot mug of green tea and leftover Halloween candy!

Photo: Meet Midnight, the kitty who warms my lap while I write. She's the cutest cat I've ever seen, and I love her to bits.

Mountain Inspiration

I find the solitude of looking at mountains in chilly air quite refreshing. On the way to eastern washington this past weekend we visited a rest stop with a spectacular view. For the first time I saw jagged mountain peaks and stark grey, mossy trees. I could truly imagine the countless fantasy stories I've read happening here, and I'm sure that now, whenever "jagged peaks" shows up in a story, I'll think of this place. Plenty of photagraphers lined the path up here, taking snapshots of the pristine peaks, and it made me think of my photography class coming up in the fall at BCC. That day, the exact day we found this place, I had recieved a classic film camera, ready for my black-and-white photography class. Alas, I had no film. Next time we go to this place, I'll know more about photography, and will be able to take more amazing shots.

Photo: A picture I took while at this viewpoint. My camera almost died, this was the second to last picture it was able to take. Exactly why manual cameras are better!

Memories

I'm moving again. I can't seem to stay in one place very long--I don't even think I've stayed in the same school for more than 2 years. Of course, it's mostly been in the same district, that only changed once. I'm sad about leaving certain things here on Whidbey, but overall I think I'm ready to go. Something's calling me over at Bellevue Community College, and in Lynnwood where our house will be. I'm hoping our house will sell, but because of the market right now, we might have to rent it. I've met many memorable people, and most of them I won't forget. Quite a few have changed my life. Moving feels like shedding an old skin. It's definitely served me well, but it's time for a change. Many people's lives are changing right now, and that only emphasizes that this is the time to do it. Time to be more independent for me! And, to think about what it is I really like to do. Seeing these pictures I've saved on my computer makes me excited about a class I'm having this coming quarter at BCC--basic photography! Those ol' black and white photos. [My thoughts are a bit scattered, I'm afraid my post is too.]

Photo: I took this in 2005 when we had snow in December. I was surprised at how detailed this frosty picture ended up! Just looking at it gives me a break from these warm summer months, and makes me think about the cool months ahead. What will my life be like in the fall?

Ponderous Ponderings

New writing projects can be frustrating, especially when you're unsure whether you bit off more than you could chew. I'm plotting a story, potentially more than one book long, but any details I might want to work out crumble in my fingers when I try to grasp them. Ooh, I must be hungry with all these food analogies. But knowing how much to plot and plan beforehand is hard for me, and my story could go in so many directions. I try to read interviews with authors to see what they recommend, but none of them, understandably, know where their ideas come from. I must brood on this subject...

Photo: Westminster Abbey on a typical spring day in London. Picturesque, to say the least. :]

The Sound of Music

Music has always made me smile. Right now, out my window, I'm suddenly hearing a harmonica played somewhere in the neighborhood. I am happily surprised when this happens, especially when my mom is playing the classical radio station and I suddenly hear a bassoon. Now that we have plans to move this summer, I am incredibly sad to leave the place where I learned to play the bassoon. My instructor and fellow musicians on Whidbey have been wonderful to learn from and play with. I thought about this as I rehearsed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in band today for the concert tomorrow night. I suppose it's time for another big change in my life, but I won't stop playing the bassoon if I can help it. I may have stopped my piano lessons, but I don't plan to stop learning about this most incredible wind instrument.

Photo: Can you see the bassoons in the middle, with the cute Japanese tourists behind the fence? Taken in London at Buckingham Palace during the changing of the guard.

Lost In The City

I had a dream a few weeks ago that I was racing a horse at a fair, and at one point I couldn't get it to stop, so it went out of the fair and into a city. I eventually had to stop at an intersection on the sidewalk and ask for directions. I wonder if this predicted my feelings about Running Start and different community college possibilities. I am so confused as to where I should go: Bellevue or Edmonds Community College? There was nothing online to tell me which was better. Just today I decided on Edmonds, but they are so similar. I am thinking of a Computer Science major, but I don't know if that's the best choice for me yet. I'm realizing you really have to decide what you want to do and work really hard at getting what you want. It's a long process... a long, tedious, stressful process, especially if you don't trust that things will work out.

Photo: A bridge in San Francisco, taken when I was there last year. I love SF, I need to go back someday soon!

To Share Or Not To Share?

I enjoy writing stories, but I appreciate people reading my work even more. The other day I read an interview with Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. They're quite intriguing if you've never read them. One of his comments struck me, about sharing his work. He never shows anyone what he's writing, until he's completely finished. He compared sharing his work with explaining a dream, saying, "You know what it's like when you try and tell someone what your dream is like? It's so boring because it evaporates in the telling somehow." I realized that this is true for me when I explain my writing, that the sense of awe, wonder, or terror I want to get across never comes out right. Perhaps I can stay with one writing project longer if I don't try to explain it.

Photo: Half of a crab shell that I found on Mukilteo Beach. I wonder how it stayed intact?

Comparing and Contrasting

Why is it so important to learn this type of essay in high school? It seems the teachers get together and plot when to hit their students, at the same time, with essays. I've discovered through the already prevailing stress at school, my essays don't seem to be getting better, especially when I'm under a time limit. After this week, I refuse to write any more of them.

Photo: For my first post, I decided to include an interesting picture from a tourist trap on my trip to California last summer: the Drive-Through Chandelier Tree in Leggett, CA. Height: 315 ft., Diameter: 21 ft., Maximum Age: 2400 years. [I will occasionally include random photos like this. :D]