Captive to your Creation? Mindless Rant #3

Is it just me? I am the only one this happens to? Sometimes I think my novel owns me and not the other way around. Sometimes I get a nagging feeling telling me it's time to stop whatever I'm doing and write. Oh the inconvenience! 

In the early hours of this morning, four o'clock to be precise, I would have loved nothing more than to have been drifting away to Lala land. However, my novel would not permit such unholy bliss. I instead, was fumbling about my room trying to find a notebook and pen without the aid of my glasses (which are broken) or contacts. I probably, without the aid of contacts or glasses, have the vision comparable to bat so the mission from the get go was destined to be a fail.

I ended up finding the book but no pen. I searched blindly for a pen for another ten minutes. By that time I slightly lost any determination to write. My novel still would not permit me to sleep until every thought I had, in relation to some events I had been planning, were fully noted down .

Who wears the pants in this relationship I wonder...  

Getting Near Water Tip #2

I was reading a book recently called Write It Down Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser. In the book Klauser recommends that in order to push start your goals in life you should first write them down. Her theory is that by writing them down you are activating the reticular activating system, which in a sense saves the written down goal and remembers it.

As a vow to start seeing the optimistic side of life (naturally I'm a realist) I decided to purchase the book and to begin to write down my aspirations. One of them, as I'm sure you know is to become an author. Not unpublished or agent less but a published, successful author. So I wrote this down in my journal (Klauser recommends that you dedicate a notebook to writing thoughts, feelings and what not).

A chapter that really stood out to me what called Getting Near Water. Klauser described that sometimes we can find it hard to grasp the right words or to know which goals we really wish to obtain. Apparently water can be an instant cure for this indecisiveness. Running water is supposed to help make creativity flow. It has something to do with too many positive ions (or something sciencey) being transmitted in the atmosphere. Water is able counterbalance.

I'm not sure but I think there might be some truth to this. I remember when I was younger I went through seasons when I couldn't write anything or at least anything I felt meant something or was special. However when it rained I knew I needed to grab my pen and paper and pour out my thoughts. Whenever it rained my mother would always ask me if I had a good writing session. After reading this chapter I thought I'd try it out again. Living in England I can often expect rain however ironically the day I wanted to try it out the sun was shining... Figures. Well, I thought, she did say running water so I hopped in the shower. I started thinking about my novel I'm writing at the moment. I was trying to contemplate why exactly a certain line of events took place. I knew the events but hadn't logically worked out why they occurred. The brainstorm was actually extremely helpful and I had heaps to write after.

So maybe there is some truth to it? Try getting down to the local lake or get close the rain (if you live in England shouldn't be too difficult...) or hop in the shower. Test it see if it works for you.

Thesaurus - Friend or Foe? A Mindless Rant #2

Okay so yesterday I posed the question asking whether or not the theasaurus was in fact a friend or foe. Well, after two positive experiences today my mind is swaying towards friend. I was looking for a decent antonym for the word 'recant' and my mind just wasn't up to the task. The thesaurus however came to my rescue and provided me with the word 'recapitulate' <3 

Later on I got stuck yet again. I didn't want to use the word 'unbearable' and my brilliant, oh so brilliant mind, decided to drift off and leave me clueless. The thesaurus yet again came to my rescue. 

Maybe the thesaurus is like Yin and Yang? Good and evil? Sometimes you can find helpful insight other times it leaves you slamming your head against a computer screen wondering why, oh why, did you ever start to write a book... 

And yes if you couldn't already gather I am a tad bit over dramatic :D  

Now spell checker on the other hand is most definitely a foe but that's another rant.

Thesaurus - Friend or Foe? Mindless Rant Series

In my experience as an unpublished, agent-less author, a theasurus is a necessary tool. Sometimes as a writer your mind abandons you and you lose all hope of finding the right words to use. You want to express what X thinks about Y and why N does trust Y but you can't put it into words or at least the right words.

So after many attempts of slamming your head against your laptop screen, you have a thought. Synonyms! The light switch flickers on at last! You scroll down to the word or phrase, your heart skipping several beats. You left click, synonyms and then...(No suggestions)!

Sometimes books are no better. Today I was attempting to use animalistic imagery to portray the actions of a group. I didn't want to use the word animalistic so I tried synonyms. (No suggestions). Fail! Then I tried a book. The word animalistic wasn't even printed! Finally I checked the internet and was given the synonyms carnal, erotic, arousing... Sooo not on the same wavelength there... I was thinking more like Caliban from The Tempest than Samantha Sex and the City!

So I pose to you the question: The thesaurus - a friend or foe?

I.N.V.U.

I.N.V.U. is just about the best (or only) manga series I have ever read.
Thank you so much Kim Kang Won!!

If you've never heard of I.N.V.U. or I Envy You, here I am to offer and explanation. The manga series stars a 16 year old Korean girl named Sey Hong, who leads a rather unordinary life.

One morning, Sey awakens to find a strange man in her room. Sey soon discovers that man works from a moving company (?) and that her mother is leaving to go on a trip to Italy for five years to work on her book. Her mother leaves her daughter with a family friend and a credit card from the man her mom suspects is her father.

-charming-

Sey winds up living with the Kang family. She soon realises this family is stranger than her own. Mrs. Kang is obsessed with all things "girly" and is ecstatic to have a "daughter" in the family. The father doesn't say much however Terry (or should I call him/her Hali!?!) is impolite and threatens.

Sey is determined not to use the credit card her mother gave her. She desires to be independent and looks for a job. Her friend Rea Yoo is able to find her one through her boyfriend Siho Lee, a notorious playboy who goes to Sey's school.

The relationship between the two is turbulent, mostly due to Sey. She has little experience with guys and frequently rebuffs Siho's attempts at romance though she is aware she has feelings for him.

At home Sey finds out that "Terry" is actually Hali, a girl who is pretending to be a boy for the sake of her mother. Years ago, Mrs. Kang was in a car accident with her son Terry. Unfortunately Terry is killed but upon waking Mrs. Kang mistook Hali for Terry. The doctor's claimed it was amnesia and that she would recover. To stop her mother from having psychotic episodes, Hali's father asked her to pretend to be Terry until her mother recovers.

Hali is tired of suppressing who she is. She feels like no one understands her except for her teacher Hajun Cho. Hajun was Hali's ex- tutor who she declared her love too. She desires for him to marry her but he's told her that he doesn't see her as a girl.


Summary over - Now to the even better stuff!!

I love these books, they are fantastic. I have never laughed so hard while reading. Won brings these characters to life on the page. Each character has a back story we as the reader get to learn about and a dream that they are working towards.

I.N.V.U. is a quirky series with brilliant animation, story lines that grab your interest and keep you demanding for more (much more!). You want to know what's going to happen with Sey and Siho, you want to know if Mrs. Kang will ever recover? Does Hajun love Hali? Does Rea's dad ever find out about her modelling job? Will Jae Eun ever be able to look Simon in the eye after that embarrassing incident?! Will Young Jun leave Sey stop being protective of Sey and date Rea already!?!?! <---*Notice the increase of !?

I was introduced to these books by a friends dad who recommended them. I've loved manga from a young age so I jumped at the chance to read these comics.

So far there are have been five books in the series. The fifth instalment was recently released in 2010. There's about 20+ pages in each book so light reading. On the over each book the acronym I.N.V.U. is spelt. On some cover the acronym stands for "Innocent. Nice. Vivid. Unique." or "Impressive. Neat. Versatile. Undaunted."

This series offers story lines and characters that are truly unforgettable. I highly recommend giving them a try. You can check out on the tokyopop. Defiantely try them out if you're a fan of drama/romance manga.

Ms. Won please release Volume 6. I'm desparate to know!!

Where is the magic?

It seems that nowadays just about anyone can write a book. Katie (Jordan) has one, Paris Hilton even that guy who just won X - Factor about a week ago has one. Whether they be a Z lister or an A, just about every celeb has a book. Let me ask you something? Where is the magic? Is there really anything special about reading or writing a book anymore? Was there ever? Are the words we print on a page in size 12 Font, Times New Roman, just words and not a story? Have we forgotten how to write a story? Have we forgotten how to create another world filled with a journey and new characters and have we, sometime ago, just lost our ability to be imaginative?

I'd like to think we haven't (optimistic?). I'd like to think that there are still books out there and writers who can pluck me from my world and introduce me to a new one. That's why I love to read. It might sound weird but I enjoy it. I enjoy the escape to an alternate universe and seeing a world through someone else's eyes. However, reading just stopped being enough for me. I wasn't satisfied with just reading about other people's worlds. So then I decided to create my own.

To cut a long story short(ish), I became inspired by a book I had as a child call Comus. It was a re-telling, for children, of John Milton's 1634, Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle by Margaret Hodges. The first story I had ever written was based on that book. I described the haunted scenery that I had imagined while reading the story. From that, Edgar Allan (Allen?) Poe got to me. I was inspired by the gothic writing style. His pain drew from him what I considered to be art. The first time I read the Tell Tale Heart I was chilled but intrigued.

I started to write gothic themed poetry during my Edgar Allan Poe love affair. I rarely wrote about death, just pain. At the time I think it helped me. Thankfully, I moved on from that genre and fell in love with fantasy and crime. (Laughs to self) I remember the first story I started seriously writing was about a medallion and some kind of quest, something weird and dramatic. I felt such a joy creating it and showing it to my mom (she loved it :D)

But I feel like I'm getting off track (which isn't hard for a gal like me...) What was I talking about again? Oh, right! A journey. (Don't you dare start singing 'Don't Stop Believing'!! I've had enough of Journey to last me a lifetime - Thank you Glee... <3

So... at the moment I'm writing this book and I'm in love with it. I love my characters, their town, their beliefs, even though they can be rather ridiculous, I just enjoy getting to know them all individually. It's a fictional crime novel by the way. I've been slightly *cough cough* obsessed with crime related topics from about age 11. (I'm even taking a Criminology course at University.) I feel like, with this novel, I'm going on a journey and entering this new world. Someday when it's finished (God willing it'll be soon *fingers crossed*) people will read my book and feel compelled to create.

Finally...

It sounds kinda corny by my inspiration for my novel came from a sunset. I was in a car (it was actually a horrible bright red van -no offence to the driver-) being driven home from school. I was just sitting there when I noticed the sun going down. It was the most beautifully yet haunting site I'd ever witnessed. The clouds were a ruby orange and perfectly placed in the middle of this lovely setting was the sun. Just then, as I was viewing this gorgeous site, a thought planted itself into my head to write a story, the story I'm currently writing.

I will never forget that sunset or the book that challenged me to create.