Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

I really needed this book. I've been wanting to read Finnikin of the Rock for some time but only picked it up this last week and I'm so glad I did. Goodness, has this week been tough. I finished up school, started packing to move across the country, and have been poked and prodded by so many doctors and machines. I have felt so completely overwhelmed that this book was the perfect escape and had really strong characters that are forced to be brave which helped in making me a little more brave, too. This is how I like my stories--character driven where I'm with the characters one hundred percent, wanting them to conquer their fears as they go on quests; plus there was a beautiful romance that made me so giddy. Oh, and it was funny.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say that Finnikin of the Rock...well, rocked :-) and that I may not be posting for a while because life is happening in all its complexity and wonder, but hopefully soon I can get back to chatting about simple, beautiful things like writing and reading.

Hope you have a healthy day!

Some Random Stuff on a Wednesday

1. I feel like a librarian's motto should be: I may not have all the answers but I know how to find them. And if a librarian can't find you an answer then it simply doesn't exist. Ha!

2. So, I've been writing a research paper and came across the Dunning-Kruger effect which reminded me when I first learned of this term as an undergrad and realized my writing was crap's crap. Since then I've progressed in my learning and I'm much better at writing a story, but my fellow writers, make sure the effect isn't happening to you!

3. Speaking of the Dunning-Kruger effect, I remember when I took a psych class there was a requirement to be a part of a study (maybe it was extra credit...can't remember) but when I signed up for it and went to the class where it was supposed to happen, no one was there. The building was empty and I totally freaked out and thought that was part of the experiment and there were hidden cameras or people observing me being lost and confused. I was strangely paranoid. There was no experiment. I was just misinformed about the location and time (at least that was what I was told).

4. I went to L.L. Bean the first time last weekend and fell in love. I found this hat there and it made me want to buy it as I imagined myself having picnics in Yosemite. I didn't though because I have no idea how I'm going to pack the stuff I already have for my trip back to California.

 

5. Word count: 6,872 and I really like them. No. I love them.

I want to sink into your world

Project Geography is a fantasy novel and takes place in a completely different world than the one we live in and because of this I'm constantly rewriting the beginning pages. When someone reads the first page, I don't want them to know they are reading a fantasy novel. I don't want a person to feel like I'm pushing them into a world; I want them to sink into it slowly so it becomes to feel like this place always existed.

I've been reading various fantasy novels and I find that this is one of the biggest reason why I put down a book. I immediately get information overload. There are names I can't pronounce. Places I need to find on a map. A political and environment situation that gets thrown at me and I feel like I need a flashcard to keep the information in order.

The world should be fantastic and I should care about it, but I want to care about the characters first. I like it when my first introduction to a fantasy novel surrounds the protagonist and I'm able to get attached to them. I always try to start my novels like that--in the head of my main character.

Do you have a preference for how your stories begin?

Well, since I'm struggling a bit with Geog I thought I'd put it away for a week or two and come back to it with fresh eyes and then I think I need to come up with some kind of reward system for every chapter I finish or else I'll never stop rewriting this novel.

Happy reading!

Writing is not like riding a bike

Every time I begin a new project, I think, "I can't possibly do this. I have no idea what I am doing."

And every time I finish a novel, I'm very surprised that I got it done. I'm not sure exactly how it happened. The experience seems like a blur. And the only reason I know I can write another novel is that I have proof that I've done it before.

I'm at that stage where I'm looking at a project wondering how I'm ever going to get it done. You want to know what helps? Reading over old novels. It reminds me that I actually do have the self-discipline and the knowledge to keep putting one word after another.

And then I imagine the finish product and think how it'll be more wonderful than all the novels before it.

Anyway, here's a little a peek at what I've been working on (I forgot how much I torture Tobin):

“I don’t think we can ever touch again, Tobin.” She moves away from me and slips back on her dress and puts on her shoes. 

“Isobel,” I call to her as she starts to walk away. “We’ll be more careful next time, I promise.” I don’t want her to leave, thinking we won’t see each other again like this, in private. 

For a moment, I think she’s going to say no again to another meeting, but she surprises me. “Until next time then.” And I watch her go, her dress clinging to her wet slip.

Hope you're having a productive day!

The lengths I go for food

Things I have done in the past week:

Drove 30 minutes to get Swedish meatballs form IKEA

Drove 30 minutes to get TCBY

Drove 20 minutes for some Ozzie rolls

Drove 15 minutes for chicken pot pie

And they were all worth it :-)

While thinking about this--how much time I spent on food--I realized that my family's longest discussions are either about food or around a table of food. I come from a family where we cherish a good meal with good company. This is probably why every time I write a novel my characters are obsessed with food. In Project Geography, hot chocolate and churros are a big deal and my protagonist always seems to be tasting cayenne and cinnamon. Ooh, and a touch of rosemary every now and then.

Clearly, when I world build, food is a priority.

Ah, well. My characters deserve it. They do work it off with all the running they do from evil armies.

Speaking of running, I told myself I would run a mile for every Ozzie roll I ate. That's 3 miles. Blah! I better get on that.

Hope you have a day full of deliciousness!

A Writing Update

I may or may not be writing three novels at once. Okay, so one of them I'm just polishing. The other is going through a rewrite. And the third I'm barely starting from scratch. They are all at different stages and I juggle between them as my mood changes.

Feeling lazy. Do some polishing.

Feeling uninspired. Rewrite.

Feeling creative. Write.

The third one--the rewrite--sounds bad, as if I have no passion for it. That's actually Project Geography and I have a lot of passion for it.  But I know that story so well that writing it brings me comfort when I feel blah.

I feel like all this novel talk means I should make a novel page, so you might see that soon or it could already be there.

Hope you have a good grand night!

Are there no cows in Virginia?

Because hamburgers are really expensive here. Okay, not really really expensive, but let's just say I would never pay what I do here for a circle of meat between two pieces of bread. I mean who pays $5.35 for a hamburger? And I mean at a hamburger joint and not a restaurant. And that's not with fries or a coke.

You want some cheese? That'll be $7.65

Ridiculous.

But it's moments like these where I'm really happy I don't like cheese. Man, they always make you pay extra for that stuff. Sorry, cheese lovers, that must suck.

Anyway, that was my random annoyance for the day. I should probably talk about something that makes me happy.

Oh, I'm going to Ikea this Friday. This makes me happy because I really like Swedish meatballs.

Apparently things in life that make me happy and mad are food. I'm pretty sure if I wasn't a writer I'd be a chef.