Today, a miracle happened...right in the middle of watching 'New Moon' at the cinema.

I don't know how it happened or why. All I know is, I was watching Jake tell Bella that he couldn't be around her anymore (drama queen) and the climax of One Night in Vegas hit me.

It just came out of nowhere. I knew what I had to do, what I had to lead up to.

It's going to be terrible, even worse, considering Vegas is supposed to be a fluffy, light-hearted chick lit novel. However, I have seen the light.

I exist solely to make the lives of my characters painful. There will be anguish, there will be fighting, there will be haunting dreams and there will definitely be tears.

But you know what?

I'm excited.

35143 / 50000 words. 70% done!

I don't usually answer these, but I just went to my homepage to empty my Inbox and saw this. I couldn't stop my mind leaping straight to The Notebook.

*sigh*

I would be Allie and I'm more than happy to leave Ryan Gosling as Noah.

It would be the rain scene. You know the one (if you don't, where have you been?). They come in from the boat ride and it's pouring. And then she says, "Why didn't you write me? It wasn't over for me! I waited for you for seven years, and now it's too late!"

Noah: "I wrote you every day for a year. Three hundred sixty five letters. It wasn't over. It still isn't over."

And then, well, we all know what happens then. LoL.

So, in true Marie fashion, I left my bragging post up for a whole week before posing this entry to detract attention.

Okay, so it wasn't intentional. I've been obsessed with a computer game lately, and NaNo is taking up most of the rest of my free time. I'm not talking about that now, though. Look out for my next NaNo progress report either later today or tomorrow. This post is for general updates only; the kind that only I care enough about to read.

To save room, I'll put each update under a cut. :) Aren't I good to you?

Last night was the end of year celebration for Professional Writing and Editing. It was loads of fun and I think a good time was had by all. I know I enjoyed myself (even though JJ left early *tear*).

Anyway, it was big night. I won a door prize (LoL); some sci-fi called Oracle by Ian Watson. I've never heard of him but I like science fiction so I might as well read it. Haha.

However (and this is where it gets exciting), I was also named Outstanding Student of the Year. WOOHOO! I didn't even know they did this award so it was definitely news to me. It's awarded based on grades, participation inside and outside class and some other stuff as well, but I don't really remember because I was partly too excited and partly in shock. Photos were taken and I was given a signed copy of No Plot? No Problem!, the guide to writing a novel in 30 days, by Chris Baty. I've been wanting to get a hold of this book; now I don't even have to pay for it. ;)

Being named OSY (for abbreviations sake) is really cool for me. I worked damn hard this year, both for enjoyment and improvement. To have my achievements recognised in such a way is very flattering, especially as the decision (made by the teachers) was apparently unanimous. How exciting is that?

Another feature of the night was the launching of the annual PWE book. This year's theme was 'fire and flood', due to the extreme weather conditions from earlier in the year (flooding in the north, bushfires in the south). I had my fingers in just about every pie related to this book. I wrote a short fiction piece for publication, I was on the editing team and I was on the layout team. In fact, my course coordinator (also the Editing teacher) wrote about me on the Contributors page: "This year I would like to specially thank [other student] and Marie James for professionally carrying the project through from the Editing class into the Desktop Publishing class. Marie in particular, has managed the project from the outset, calmly, reliably. The fact that we are meeting the deadline is a testament to her organisational level-head!"

That is a direct quote and I didn't even know she was going to write it.

Anyway, below are a couple of pictures of the book. One is the front cover on its own; the other is the book opened flat so both covers are visible. I have to say, the photos on the covers are not mine. I also have to acknowledge that, despite my teachers words, I couldn't have completed the book by deadline if not for the three other girls on the layout team. I assigned them tasks and they carried them out willingly.

I don't know if anyone could possibly understand how proud I am of this book. It was challenging and a real learning experience, but I loved every minute of it. I could make a living doing this (at least until I make it big as a published author).

Finally, as if the night weren't great already, I discovered that I'd been published in Platform, an industry magazine published by former students of PWE and featuring the work of both aspiring and already successful writers. I submitted a couple of pieces for this issue a couple of months ago, because I had some stories written and because Platform has a lot of readers. However, I never heard back from them (after the "Thank you for submitting" email) and just assumed that my pieces hadn't been accepted. Then last night I picked up a copy, just on a whim, and then a friend turned around, pointed to it and said, "Oh, you've got a story in that. It's towards the back." So, in a daze, I flipped through the back pages, and there it was, "Flashing Lights" by Marie James...right next to a story by John Clarke. My mind exploded.

Needless to say, I was on Cloud 9 for much of the night. I didn't need alcohol. LoL. Judging by the content of this entry, I'd say this year has largely been a success. I've achieved everything I wanted and more. I can honestly say I'm proud of myself and, looking back over this year, I have no regrets whatsoever. For the first time in my life, I really made the most of every opportunity and I have things to show for it.

• I understand and can effectively use various techniques to produce works of fiction.
• I can edit pieces of writing for grammar, meaning/clarity and structure.
• I can use InDesign to layout publications.
• I have been published--twice.
• I am more than capable of managing projects both large and small.
• And, of course, I am Outstanding Student of the Year.

Is this post one big bragging session?

Yes.

Am I ashamed?

Absolutely not.

I'm a member of plagiarismhaven and the authors over there have been posting lists like the one that follows. I enjoyed them so much I decided to see if I could write one of my own. :)

( 101 Things About Me )

• Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile."
• I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity.
• Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
• Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.

labeauteausei asked me:

1) If you go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
2) Your favorite song of all time?
3) What's your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
4) So far, what can you say is the best moment in your life?
5) Who's the person you would want to meet most if you had the opportunity?

First, I have to say that, Sam, you ask hard questions! LoL. But I love them. :)

Okay, answers.

1) I would have to say London, or rather, England in general. I've always had an inexplicable fascination with the place and I love the history. All those old buildings are amazing and, really, the accents of the people are awesome. *sigh*. Despite the rain and the cold, I wouldn't mind living in London. Actually, I don't really feel the cold and I do my best writing when it rains. Maybe moving wouldn't be such a bad idea...

2) You have no idea how much I obsessed over this question. My fave song of ALL TIME? I thought long and hard. Finally, I came up with an answer. 'Come Back Down' by Lifehouse. OMG. I love this song to death. Lifehouse is my fave band and this song, though not a classic, never fails to put me in a good mood. I sing along everytime it plays. Having said that, though, I was hard pressed to pick between this song or 'Black Balloon' by Goo Goo Dolls, 'Please Remember Me' by Tim McGraw or 'Black on Black II' by Heart. Just bear that in mind. These songs are all my faves. I would probably die without them. Haha.

3) Read. I love reading. I love the way you kind of sink into that trance-like state so you're completely unaware of the world around you. I love the way you get invested in the characters and the way you cry when something bad happens to them. I just love books, I think. I even love the way they smell, and most people I know hate that smell. There are two smells, of course. There's the crisp, new book smell. But there's also the musty, yellow-paged old book smell. I love them both. :)

4) The best moment in my life? Ok, you know, this is going to sound REALLY lame, but I'm going to say the best moment in my life was getting my acceptance letter from uni. I told you it was lame. But it's the truth. The whole last two or three years of high school, I knew exactly which course I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it. I applied for the same course at another uni, but they rejected me, but I wasn't bothered; I didn't want to go there anyway. But then I got my acceptance to where I've been studying the last two years and I was so happy I cried. And then when I finished crying, I started hyperventilating. LoL. I knew it was the right decision to go there. I met some of my very best friends at uni. (Jess, JJ, I'm looking at you!)

5) Hmmm...you know, I guess most people would normally choose a celebrity, or a favourite author, or someone famous like that. But I'm not going to. If I had the chance, the person I'd most like to meet is a friend I made through FictionPress a few years ago (Hi, Jen!). She lives in the United States, so obviously our communication is limited to emails. LoL. But if I was ever in that area, I'd like to meet her. She's just awesome. :) Oh! And, of course, I'd want to meet Sam as well, who gave me these really difficult questions because she's just so amazing. Fun too. LoL.

Alrighty, I survived Sam's questions! Woohoo! As the instructions say, if you want me to ask YOU question, leave the phrase 'Resistance is Futile' in the comments and I'll try to think of some really interesting ones for you. :)

Day 3 is nearing its end and I don't know if I'm glad. On the positive side, I wrote a good amount today and I'm almost 200 words up on where I'm supposed to be. On the negative side, I have to get up and do it all again tomorrow.

I'm feeling particularly drained today and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's just the knowledge that I have to keep reaching this level for the next four weeks. Maybe it's the prospect of having to battle my way through scenes that are leading God only knows where.

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the writing. It much just be the frequency and the pressure. I don't write every single day. Usually, I physically write 5 or 6 days of the week and then use the remaining days to let things stew in my brain. But now I just have to write, write, write. No thinking allowed.

I suppose in the way this is a good thing. I'm probably allowing myself to write stuff for NaNo that I would never let sit on the page in 'real life'. I'll probably also be used to this writing every day routine by November 30 as well, so maybe I'll be able to write every single day from now on. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

I'm also finding it impossible to write with music. This is very strange for me. Music gets me into a mood and keeps me there. In fact, I find it works so well that my novel, Long Road Home, has a soundtrack with anywhere from 1 to 4 songs allocated to each chapter. But with my NaNo project? Nope. Music is just a distraction. That might be because I don't know where the story is going and I need to concentrate but I can't be sure, obviously. Future writing projects might make it clearer but I wonder if everyone's NaNo writing experience differs from their usual writing experience, or if it's just me.

*sigh* I'm too tired for such philosophical thoughts. I'm going to relax tonight (in front of 'NCIS' and 'Lie to Me') because there's a lot to do tomorrow. Not only do I have my NaNo words to get out, I also have to study for a test on Thursday. It's on copyright laws--not exactly my strong point but it all seems pretty straight forward.

Until next time, happy writing.

5197 / 50000 words. 10% done!

Disclaimer: I own only Amelia Waldorf-Bass, Katherine Archibald, Jackson and Daniella Humphrey, and Owen Sparks. All other recognisable characters and places are the property of their respective owners.

 

Chapter Eight: Convictions

 

The wooden bench was uncomfortable to lie on, but with her head resting on Owen’s lap and her gaze on the clouds above, Ella was happy. Strangely, she found herself happy only in his company these days. No, she wasn’t as upbeat as she used to be, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.

 

 

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Dear Mr Hanks,

We've never met, and we're unlikely to in the future, but I felt obligated to write this letter because you changed my life.

As a fiction writer, I find inspiration comes from the oddest of places but when I sat down to watch Castaway about eighteen months ago, I never expected to get anything more than a few hours entertainment out of it. If I'd known when the film began that my life would change before the end credits rolled, I might have marked the occasion in some way, or at least noted down the date. As it was, I sat quiet and content and, even when the moment of change came, I made nothing of it.

The moment I speak of comes at the end of the film. Your character has just delievered the package he kept safe throughout his time on the island and is consulting a map at a crossroads. He has no idea which way to drive or what he will find when he does. A woman drives up in a truck and gets out to offer help. She tells him what lies down each road and then they part, off to live their separate lifes.

After those short moments, I was never the same again. I went to bed with the woman on my mind but gradually she morphed into someone else, another woman, entirely my own, who lives out of her car and drives around the United States because she wants to. This woman stuck in my head and for days she entertained me during long stretches of boredom. A few days after watching Castaway, the woman, whose name I had discovered was 'Andie', was forced to stop in a small, middle-of-nowhere town because her car had broken down. There, she met a man, surly and bitter, whom she decided to befriend.

This is how the novel I'm writing, the one I plan to publish, was born.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I not watched Castaway that night. Would Andie still have come to me? Or would she never have been even a blip on my storytelling radar? Whatever might have happened, I know that I have never been so thankful for a film. That moment in Castaway has become my own, personal moment of cinematic history.

So, thank you, Mr Hanks. I will be forever in your debt.

Sincerely,

Marie.

Title: I Want You
Author: Lady Knight 1512
Rating: T
Pairing: Puck/Rachel
Spoilers: all episodes through 1x08
Status: Complete

Summary: When the truth comes out about the paternity of Quinn’s baby, no one is more surprised than you when you don’t date her.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. I'm just playing with them.

 

 

( I Want You )

 

 

( Author's Note )

I have been converted to the Glee fandom. Seriously, it is one of the best shows going and Puck is my fave character. :D I know a few people who are Puck/Quinn shippers (and I like Quinn too, so don't freak) but, I dunno, I'm kinda swaying in the Puck/Rachel direction. In any case, Puck doesn't get nearly enough screen time (if I had my way, it would be all Puck, all the time, LoL).

Hence my posting of the video below: a sneak peek of this week's episode, 'Mash Up', in which Puck sings 'Sweet Caroline' (presumably to Rachel, though I'm willing to admit he's probably using her in this episode, based on the Canadian promo). Personally, I'd rather pretend he's singing it to me. LoL.

Groundhog Day was on TV last night.

You know the movie I'm talking about. Bill Murray's character is forced to relive the same day over and over again.

Personally, I love the movie and, seeing that it was on after the Hey, Hey, It's Saturday Reunion, I thought I'd watch it again. But it got me thinking because it seems to me that the movie is put on free-to-air TV every six months or so.

'Why is that?' I was wondering. 'What is it about this movie that makes it so popular?'

(Well, it certainly seems popular to me. I've never met anyone who didn't like it. But if you think it's the worst movie ever made, please, let me know.)

Does it's popularity stem from the storyline? The story questions? Or is it the characters? Is it just Bill Murray himself? Or is it that watching his character change and grow speaks to so many people? Or, more probably, is it a combination of all these things? Surely one can't work so well if the others aren't pulling their weight?

I began wondering how this relates to Long Road Home. I like to think that all of the above contribute to making it a good story (and it is in my mind, whether people agree with me or not) but now I'm not so sure. Is the storyline working? Are enough story questions being created? Are the characters enjoyable? Will readers enjoy watching them grow? I don't know and I don't suppose I will for a while. I've heard good things from my Novel class during workshopping sessions, but they've only seen the beginning mostly. Whether all their comments will carry across the whole novel remains to be seen.

Flying Sparks News

There is a chapter coming, I promise! It's just a long one and, though I wrote it months ago, I have to edit and rewrite about half of it. Plus, I have a lot of stuff going on at the moment, both school-related and not. So the story hasn't been abandoned. I do know where it's going, I haven't hit any brick walls. Don't worry.

I have a friend in the United States who I edit chapters for. We've become good friends and we email each other regularly. My poor friend, though, has been waiting (very patiently, I must say. More patient than I would be) to read chapters of Long Road Home for many, many months.

We got to talking about it the other week and I said, 'You know what, I've got about half of the first draft written now. How about I start sending you chapters and you tell me what you think?"

She said, "Sure."

And I thought, 'Awesome! I'll got back and revise my first chapters and then send them to her periodically. I can revise and write new matieral simultaneously.'

So yesterday I opened my Chapter 1 document (which I haven't looked at for months) and began reading. I knew how I was going to change the chapter and I have notes from my current Novel teacher that I have yet to implement. It shouldn't have been a problem.

Oh. My. God.

Did I really write that crap? The characters were flat, the dialogue made me cringe in shame and then there was Andie, one of my MC's. Oh, Lord. She has a Pollyanna complex.

I have to admit to being shocked by this unpleasant discovery. Sure, I haven't worked on Chapter 1 since February or March, but I don't recall it being that bad. The feeling I got while reading was akin to the feeling you get when you unearth an old piece of writing you did as a child. You read it and laugh at yourself a little, but mostly you feel embarrassment.

I'm well aware that the first chapter of any novel is the most reworked of the whole book. My first chapter has undergone various changes, additions and deletions, but it is largely unchanged from the original. As I mentioned previously, I know how I'm going to change it, but I'm thinking maybe I should just scrap the whole thing and write it again from scratch. This has the added benefit of me knowing my characters better. There will be more hints at the depth of Liam and Andie won't be so sickeningly nice. I'll put more Doyle into it as well, and hopefully, we'll be getting somewhere.

So there you have it. My unpleasant discovery. My first chapter sucks.

It's ok. I know there's no shame in having a cringe-worthy first chapter, especially as part of the first draft...yet I'm embarrassed by it anyway. *sigh* There's no winning.

So, on the back of my micro-pig entry, I'm going to talk about NaNoWriMo.

I doubt there are many writers who haven't heard of National Novel Writing Month. I've never participated before, though I did consider it last year. I'm not sure why I didn't. No ideas maybe? Well, regardless, I've just registered and I'm very excited. I had the idea for my novel while in the shower (where all my best ideas seem to come to me. Go figure) about 6 months ago. It's since been stewing away and with each day that gets us closer to November, I just get more and more itchy to get started!

I'll be working on a chick lit novel (tentatively titled One Night in Vegas), but it will be the exact opposite of Long Road Home. Well, that's the plan anyway. I made the radical decision soon after coming up with my idea that I would not plan or outline Vegas. Maybe this was a mistake, considering how much trouble I've previously had with writing by the seat of my pants. But I think the problem was that I was too worried about doing everything the right way. This November I won't be worrying about plot holes, successful character development, rising tension, strong dialogue or any of that other stuff I've previously preached about. Instead, I'm just going to write a story. If I sit down one day with no idea what will happen next, I'm just going to go with the first scene that comes to mind. If it sucks, it sucks. I can always fix it later.

Hence, my motto for November will be: 'No pressure.'

To anyone else out there who will be participating, my profile is here so add me!

Good luck!

That's right.

My latest love affair is with micro-pigs.

They are just so cute! I mean, I have a thing for piglets anyway, but then when they grow up into grown up pigs, I'm not so taken with them. But now we have these guys!

Disclaimer: I own only Amelia Waldorf-Bass, Katherine Archibald, Jackson and Daniella Humphrey, and Owen Sparks. All other recognisable characters and places are the property of their respective owners.

 

Dedicated to: mhas because she always leaves such insightful comments and because it’s her birthday. Haha. Hope you have a good one!

 

Chapter Seven: Burning Bridges

 

The bell chimed as the lift doors opened to reveal the entrance hall of the Humphrey penthouse and Ella poked her head out hesitantly. No sound came from anywhere in the apartment and the air left her lungs in a whoosh. It appeared that no one was home. Maybe her absence had gone unnoticed.

 

 

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Previous Chapters

Disclaimer: I own only Amelia Waldorf-Bass, Katherine Archibald, Jackson and Daniella Humphrey, and Owen Sparks. All other recognisable characters and places are the property of their respective owners.

 

Chapter Six: Sparks

 

They were trying to whisper, but she could still hear them.

 

“She’s sitting alone…Mia already left for the steps…they didn’t sit together in Economics either…I heard it was because of Jack. He chose Mia over his sister…”

 

 

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Previous Chapters

		I will marry Ben Affleck.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in London, England in our fabulous House.
		We will have 1 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a orange Toyota Yaris.
		I will spend my days as a Author, and live happily ever after.

Disclaimer: I own only Amelia Waldorf-Bass, Katherine Archibald, and Jackson and Daniella Humphrey. All other recognisable characters and places are the property of their respective owners.

 

Chapter Five: Treason

 

Ella had always been astounded that, when going up to the Waldorf-Bass apartment, it never felt like she was in a lift. The ride was so smooth, so easy; it seemed more like an instant teleportation device. She stepped in, the doors closed, she waited a couple of minutes and, when the doors opened again, she was in another world.

 

 

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I'm a huge fan of thrillers. James Patterson (the master of the thriller genre) is one of my all-time favourite writers and he's set the bar pretty high. However, I'm always open to discovering new authors. Tara Moss was one such. I'd heard various things about her novels, most of them complimentary, but never read any. Well, a couple of months ago, I received an email from Dymocks, promoting the release of Moss's latest novel.

"Alrighty," I thought, "now is the time to jump on the bandwagon."

I tracked down Moss's first novel, Fetish, at the library and took it home, eagerly anticipating the psychological mind games and adrenaline-infused chases to the finish.

Things didn't progress quite the way I'd hoped.

( Read Review )

All in all, I found Fetish lacking in more ways than one and, as quickly as I jumped on the bandwagon, I jumped off it again.

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5.