Happy Birthday, December IWSG, and a Movie Review!!!

Hey everybody! So it has been a crazy awesome week! Yesterday was my 22nd Birthday! I got to celebrate with family eating cake and ice cream, topping it off with a night at the movies. Woohoo! ^^ :D I have to say, I don't feel much older, but I've heard that doesn't start to set in until later. Lol :) So for my birthday movie, my brother and my sister-in-law took me to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire for the second time (My mom took me to see it the first time on the day it came out lol). It was really sweet too, because the lady running the concession stand sang Happy Birthday to me. ^^

                And I have to say, it was AWESOME!!! Frances Lawrence did an excellent job! He created a world so intricate and detailed that even though it passes by in short little bursts, you really get a good sense of it. And the characters I feel got a whole lot better and deeper. The costumes were so great and some totally outrageous (lol Effie J). The first half felt just slightly rushed, but for the time they had, they covered a lot. There were a couple parts that made me giggle…really loudly. :] If you’ve seen the movie or read the books, all I have to say is. Johanna. Hehe. ^^ Of course there were a couple parts that had me tearing up. If you've read the books you know what parts those probably were. It was pretty funny too, because at the end where the big hurrah takes place, my brother and I were both pumping our fist saying Yeah!  

You can really tell the difference between fans of the books versus those that have only seen the movies too because my sister-in-law kept leaning over to explain little nuances to my brother because he hasn't read the books yet. Key word: yet. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll have him reading them in no time! ;D

Overall, I would give Catching Fire 4.5 stars only because I felt like there was just a smidge where they could've done a little bit more, but like I said: Fantastic job. I'm so glad Frances is doing both Mockingjay part 1 & 2. And after seeing the second one, I'm really glad they split the movie into two parts because that will really allow them to dig into the story and honor those parts that really need it and are huge parts of the overall arc. In my opinion, Suzanne Collins is a genius. I also haven't read any of her other books yet, so I might be biased, but Hunger Games is my all-time favorite book series. Ever.

 

Anyways, before I go all Fangirl over you guys, today is the first Wednesday of December, which means it’s time for another IWSG! The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a wonderful place where writers can share their worries and failures as well as their successes and advice. Led by our fearless leader Alex J. Cavanaugh, IWSG meets the first Wednesday of every month and you can join on his site here. There's also a brand new website now so be sure to check it out here.  

 

So every year at the Central Oregon Writer’s Guild, we hold two annual readers showcases where members can volunteer to read their work to the guild and on December 19^th is our next showcase and I volunteered! I’ve never been able to read my work out loud in public before so I’m super excited and absolutely terrified! I’m not a great out loud reader. I tend to skip words and mix up letters within words. I don’t want to read too quickly or slowly especially since I only have eight minutes to read, but for those that have had the opportunity to speak before groups and share their work publicly, what have you found works best and helps you present better? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for stopping by! J

 

Happy Writing! ^^ :D

Reading Round Up

When I started this blog, one of the things I wanted to talk about is books. As a writer it’s important to read, and read a lot. Well I’ve been trying to do just that and I wanted to share two books of which I just finished reading.

The first book I want to talk about is K.M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. This is an excellent read that I would recommend to any author who's on the fence as to whether or not they are a "pantser" or an "outliner". I learned that I am most certainly an outliner, but the thing that this book enforces, that I really like, is that it encourages you to outline creatively, whether that means doodling characters and scenes, mind mapping, or writing your own reviews to gain a sense of your goals.

 A lot of people think outlining will take the va voom out of their writing journey, which for some people it does, but I like how the author approached the outlining process and enforced creatively putting together a rough plan that will keep you on track and help you to avoid writing yourself into a corner. I think this is something I struggle with a lot. After it's all said and done, some of us (like me) just want to go, get started, and light those keys on fire as you blaze through the first draft. Mrs. Weiland encourages readers to slow down a little and scribble out that rough plan in whatever words necessary to get that plan on paper. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read on writing craft.

My Rating (on a scale from 1 to 5): ****

“Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly used, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal. With the help of the book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success, you will learn how to choose the right type of outline for you, brainstorm plot ideas, and discover your characters.”

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success is published by Pen For A Sword Publishing and is 192 pages in length.

You can find K.M. Weiland's Website here.

 

The second book I finished reading recently is Julie Kagawa's The Iron King. This book started off quite quickly getting to the punch after only a few short chapters. Meghan Chase is a heroine you can root for and totally agree with. The scenery depicted is beautiful and represents each of the faery courts perfectly. The romance aspect of the book didn't come into play until halfway through the book and seemed a little sudden and rushed to me. If I could've made any suggestions, I would've explored that relationship a little further and at least give a little more foundation for Meghan's love interest. Otherwise, this was a pretty riveting read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone into faeries and faery lore.

My Rating: ****

“Megan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

 When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

 But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.”

The Iron King is published by Harlequin Teen and is 368 pages in length.

You can find The Iron King and other books by Julie Kagawa at her website here.

Look! Look! Look!

This week I was tagged by the lovely M.Pax for the look challenge! The rules: Count up the ‘LOOK’s in your current WIP and choose your favorite three. Then post the paragraphs around the word.

Dotted about the first two chapters of my WIP, I’ve used 50 looks. Ouch! Not toooo bad for out of 14,000 words, but that’s partly why it’s still a WIP. ^^;

            Reiva twirled out of his path and caught his tunic by the neck. With an abrupt jerk, she threw him forward and sent him flying. A loud crack split the air as Darret crashed into a stack of wine barrels. Red liquid fountained down as Reiva hooked her boot under Darret’s fallen gladius and flicked it into the air. She caught it and pitched it forward, sailing end over end. It stuck into the barrel just over Darret’s head. Dazed, he looked up into a fresh spray of wine that spilled down his soaking tunic.

             Stepping onto the street, faces turned towards them, taking in the blood and mouthing ceaseless questions. Reiva wanted to shrink so small they would never see her again. She felt their prying eyes like insects crawling over her skin, itching to dig under her shell and unravel her from the inside out. Looking at Talou, you might never know he was an object of such scrutiny. Glances slid off him like rain off a glass pane, but then again, he wasn’t the topic of their gossip.

             She had to remind herself to stay alert; she wasn’t out of danger just yet. Risking a glance around the cart, she surveyed the crowd. There weren’t any guards just yet, but they weren’t the only threat. Cool steady eyes met her gaze and knew she’d been spotted. She’d seen him in the city center, watching the crowds from a distance. He was a foreigner by the looks of him, but even a foreigner could benefit from the capture of a fugitive.

I’m still new in the blogosphere so instead of tagging 5 lovely people, I’m going to tag 3. Karen Elizabeth Brown, Heather at Reading, Writing andEverything In Between, and Susan Gourley/Kelley.

 

Have a great week everybody and happy writing! ^^ :D