Thursday, June 18, 2015

Concerning Assassins and Justin Bieber Duct Tape

     Oh dear; I neglected my blog again. *dust off the poor Wandering Typewriter and begins pounding out on the keys once more*

     Many things have happened since last I wrote: I turned sixteen, lost much sleep at a worldview conference, and discovered that dressing as an assassin is very, very interesting.

     I could just publish this post without going into any more detail. However, since I don't want to be taken as a psychopath or almost-sociopath, I shan't.

     Sixteen is supposed to be an important age in American culture. However, my birthday hardly felt special; my brothers were more excited about it than I was. I did get some awesome presents, though: a stuffed Grumpy Cat and Justin Bieber duct tape. (Yes, it exists. Also, I wish there was a sarcasm font; I am most definitely not a Belieber.) The Grumpy Cat shall probably become my mascot as a begin college this month; she will sit there and motivate me by her ever-present frown.

     Next we come to the worldview conference. Every year, many high school and college age students attend the BWSC, which stands for the Biblical Worldview Student Conference. Take a look at their website; they're epic. Last year, I spent much of the free time observing or playing games, and participating in English country dancing. This year, I made a discovery...

Image credit to @shadow.cosplay (Instagram)

...dressing like an assassin and running around in the rain is exactly as fun as it sounds. 

Image credit to @shadow.cosplay (Instagram)
     Mind, I wasn't actually trying to kill my friend Michala in any of those pictures. We were acting as characters from one of her many stories: two (ex) assassins. It's quite complicated; perhaps I shall ask her to write a guest post and explain. Suffice it to say, the two characters never quite got along:

Image credit to @shadow.cosplay (Instagram)
     Many other interesting things happened at the conference, such as when a friend and I went traipsing around the college campus, taking pictures, instead of going to sleep like sane folks. But then, being sane is rather boring, don't you think?





Saturday, May 2, 2015

On Camp NaNo and Late-night Poetry

     Hello there, friends and followers. It's been a while...or has it? I lose track sometimes.

     For those of you who've read my previous posts, you know about Camp NaNo and my struggles with that writing challenge. Well, among many other things, I've learned this: don’t post on the Internet about something that one hasn't yet completed. To my shame, I didn't reach my goal. However, I do have the raw beginnings of an (hopefully) epic story, and evil plans for the ending. *masks snicker under an innocent smile*

     Another thing I learned is that an odd piece of writing advice actually works. I’m referring to Mr. S.’s way of creating conflict when one is stuck: doing something completely unexpected. It sends the writing part of one’s brain (and one’s characters) scrambling to figure out what on earth just happened. It’s also known as making the house explode or dropping a body from the ceiling. (I believe I covered that in a previous post.) I opted for the pyromaniacal version and figured out a way to theoretically knock someone unconscious with a sharp edge of furniture and a firecracker. Not quite as useful as knowing how to chloroform someone (though I do intend to learn how to do that—writing purposes only. Well…probably.)

     Now that I've gotten that piece of writing advice and my slightly sociopathic tendencies out of my head and into the world of the internet, let’s move on. The title of this post includes the words “Late-night Poetry”, so I suppose I should elaborate before I forget what I mean to say (which happens too often for comfort). Great ideas always seem to come at the wrong times (see The Marvels of the Human Brain). Sometimes they’re story ideas, sometimes artsy things, and sometimes…poetry.

     Lately I've had ideas for poems right before bed, which usually ends in me staying up far too late and risking becoming a sleep-deprived dragoness the next day. Some of them don’t rhyme at all, nor have much rhythm to the words. Others (some of my favorites) are poems that attempt to be tragic, but probably don’t make much sense outside the context of the story they accompany. (In other words, yes, I do indeed write fanfiction (or I suppose it would called fanpoetry) for my own stories.) Still others are poems about stories not of my own creation. For instance, behold this limerick based off of Sherlock:

There once was a soldier named John

Who was never found mowing his lawn.

He sat drinking his tea

Away from 221B

Until the game was back on.

     I may regret posting that, but probably not. The Sherlock fandom is exceptionally insane; the above poem wouldn't look at all odd among some of the more…interesting…works of the Sherlockians. Perhaps one day I’ll post a proper poem…or not. Showing someone one’s writing is showing them a piece of one’s self that nobody sees otherwise. We have to bare a piece of our souls to the often unsympathetic eyes of our viewers, and sometimes it hurts. Which is why I should be a bit more worried about what people think about my blog, but I’m not. I would blame it on the Perceiving part of my personality type, but that doesn't entirely fit, either. Hmm.


     I shall sign off before I go off onto another long tangent. Mind your head as you go out; there’s a sword hanging on the wall somewhere around here, unless Tin had to go on another dragon-slaying quest. I really should keep better track of what my characters are doing.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

In Which Elizabeth Cannot Decide On A Title

     Well, this was supposed to be the Camp NaNo Chronicles: Day 23, but...

     ....


     Can you keep a secret? Just between me and the hundreds of you on the internet.

      ....

      *whispers* I haven't written in several days.

      I hope to rectify this, however, by taking the esteemed Mr. Schwabauer's excellent advice and doing something completely unexpected, otherwise known as dropping a body out of the ceiling or making the house explode. As this is a mystery/adventure novel, either of those options could work (in theory). Though the minor character doomed to a tragic fate can't die quite yet...

      One of the downsides (or benefits, perhaps) of being a writer is how we come across to other people. If you've been reading the chronicles of the Wandering Typewriter or know me in real life, then you probably know that I often talk about killing characters. This often causes problems. For instance, I think I legitimately scared one of my classmates yesterday when I said that I knew quite a few ways to kill people. (It didn't help that I was wearing my "I'M PLOTTING AGAINST YOU. (I'm a writer. It's what I do." shirt.) Google searches can get interesting, too. ("What does getting stabbed feel like?") Nearly every modern-day writer has had to explain (or yell) to a concerned friend or acquaintance,"I promise I'm a writer; please don't think I'm a psychopath."

     Well, that was rather morbid. To end on a more cheerful note, happy Impossible Astronaut Day to my fellow Whovians! Actually...Impossible Astronaut Day is almost as morbid as the previous two paragraphs. It's the day after...well, to avoid spoilers, it's the day after something very very bad happened to the Doctor. Or almost happened. Fixed points in time are tricky things.

    Shall I attempt to explain Doctor Who? Well...it's a British Sci-fi TV show, for starters, that's over fifty years old. But perhaps the best explanation comes from the Tenth Doctor himself:

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective point of view, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...stuff."

      Impossible Astronaut Day is when Whovians draw tally marks to act like we're counting Si--wait...what where we talking about again?

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Beyond the Mask

     Finally. A independent film that has the qualities of being well-written, excellent acting, believable sets and costumes, and being a Christian film. Incidentally, it broke the record for the most tickets sold for a premiere of an on-demand movie. And also, it included Gimli in a powdered wig.

     I'm talking, of course, about Beyond the Mask.


     In my opinion, this independent film was better than many multi-million dollar ones *coughtheHobbitcough*. Independent and/or Christian films are often looked down upon for their poor storytelling, bad acting, and/or cheesy scripts. This film had neither. (Well, there were some cheesy moments (they're hard to avoid), but on the whole there weren't.)

     Warning: Spoilers to follow. (I would insert a gif of River Song saying "Spoilers", but don't want to break copyright laws. It's bad enough to make my characters mad at me without worrying about the law.) So if you haven't seen the movie yet, go see it and then come back and read this. Shoo.

     The main character (or hero, as I shall refer to him) is Will Reynolds, an mercenary for the East India Company. We aren't given much of his backstory, but we are given enough to pity the man, murderer though he is. The assassin character is often overdone, but in this case it was given an odd twist: an assassin who is giving it all up and beginning a new life.

     His previous boss isn't too happy about this, however. What happens, besides being spoilers, is an excellent sequence of events in story terms, if not for Will.
 
     After a tense and exciting series of events, Will finds himself the pastor of a small church and meets the charming Charlotte Holloway. I'm not here to summarize the movie (other internet sites have already done that), but to write a review, so let me talk about her for a moment.

     Charlotte is Will's love interest. I was pleasantly surprised by how strong of a character she is. Many female love interests are weak, flat characters that seem to have no other purpose than to look adoringly at the hero and scream at inconvenient moments, and are useless in general. Charlotte isn't a damsel in distress, but neither is she a very masculine, independent woman (like Tauriel). One of her defining traits is her faith, which isn't slapped on ostentatiously but is woven throughout the story. Also, her and Will are SO. ADORABLE. together. *cheesy smile*

     I am an exception to a general rule, I think, in the fact that I usually don't enjoy romance stories. There are a few exceptions to my dislike: John J. Horn's The Boy Colonel and the romantic subplot in Wayne Thomas Batson's The Sword in the Stars, for example. However, I find most of them cheesy or just plain unrealistic. It's rare that I find a believable, creative romance story or subplot. Beyond the Mask is yet another exception to my dislike. The romance story between Charlotte and Will is believable and very creative. An assassin and an English aristocrat; how complicated could that get? Then comes the scene where he proposes to her--in the rain. In the middle of the night. Right after burying someone. Way to go, Will.

     Another thing I really enjoyed was how intertwined the themes and the story were. Will seeks first revenge, then redemption. Charlotte's faith is so much a part of her that she would be a very flat character without it.

    And the villain...oh the villain. He had motivation. He had other goals besides destroying Will. He was kind at times, which contrasted with his cruelty. Will might have been the one wearing the physical mask, but it was the villain who truly wore one.

     Truth and lies. Redemption and revenge. The themes were there without being forced. In my opinion, Beyond the Mask is one of the best movies of the year. Take notes, other Christian filmmakers.
    

Saturday, April 18, 2015

In Which A Distracted Person Should Not Be Given Italian Food

     (Sequel to this post. )

     We all have different talents and abilities. Some people are skilled musicians, others are talented dancers, and some have personalities which facilitate those "necessary" communications in life. I have talents, too: I pop up in unexpected places, cry over my own stories, and have the makings of a creepy stalker. But today I realized that I had a previously undiscovered talent:

   
...I can microwave things beautifully. The microwave is above the stove, you see. I took out a plate of leftovers and spilled all but a few mouthfuls. *deep sigh*

   

Monday, April 13, 2015

The Camp NaNo Chronicles: Day 13


     Well. Almost halfway there...to my shame, I reduced my goal from 30,000 to 22,000 words. Maybe if I get my act together I'll be able to increase it to my original goal., especially since I have some eager potential readers. But the good news is that I've found my plastic Narnia dagger as well as two training samurai swords (the former to throw at the computer and/or my stubborn characters, and the latter to discourage stubborn interruptions.)

     I really don't have much else to say, as I don't want to begin rambling about my characters. Though I do believe Warren shall visit tomorrow... Please feel free to ask him questions; it will do him good. 

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Character Takeover: Anastasia Forsyth



     I talked with my author, and I really don’t see how I can get out of this. I agreed to do it only because I thought it was to be a strictly factual exchange between me and one other person. She didn’t tell me that I’d be submitting to anarchy. Goodness, she has a lot of readers. Stop staring, would you?

     I suppose I should introduce myself. Warren calls me Holmes, and that’s what I prefer when meeting strictly for business purposes. Master Williams has already explained how this “takeover” thing works, I see; I pity you for having to listen to his post. He considers a “takeover” anarchy; I like to think of it as putting the power into more capable hands. (I would say my hands, but that’s a bit too egotistic for my tastes.)

     Oh dear…I slipped up a bit. Master Williams and I aren’t even in the same story, much less country. I would hate to be in a novel set in America; London can be bad enough, sometimes. My author is attempting (and failing rather miserably) to write my story for…what’s it called? Camp NaNoWriMo. She’s already dumped a ten year old on me and kidnapped my sister; I’m afraid to think about what might happen next.

     I shan’t end by begging for food like Master Williams, but I will ask for some tea. Oh wait…my author is an American, and so (I assume) are most of you. You drink your tea cold. Disgusting.

     If you have no tea forthcoming, I shall fetch my hat and go my way. Do tell me if the odd kidnapping or homicide turns up; I’m rather desperate for business. (Don’t create business for me by committing a crime, however.) With all the mystery novels set in London, one would think it would be easier to find work. Truth is often harsher than fiction. Emphasis on often.


     Well, I have a cat and a sidekick to attend to. I doubt we’ll meet again, but it was a pleasure. I apologize for my rather rude introduction, but I’m trying to solve a case. My…acquaintances…know not to bother me when that happens. Farewell.