Did I mention I can't wait for this movie?
2.14.2012
2.02.2012
A Song for the Stars
It's hard to pinpoint that exact moment in time when you realized you love something you keep on loving forever. I can't remember the day I first sat down and wrote a story. I can't remember the first time I sang. But there's one first that leads to another - a first that offers an idea of the age I was when I grew to adore the stars.
The day I wrote my first song.
Okay, so it's not really a song. It doesn't have a chorus or a bridge or any guitar chords to go along with it. But when I was age four, I wrote two lines in my journal and whipped up a tune for them. This was my first song:
Stephanie goes to outer space
and all the wayy
Stephanie goes to outer space
at dinner time
You are probably in awe right now. That right there is a work of genius.
I remember singing that song, quite proudly, at the dinner table. (That same day I may or may not have also penned a song about french fries and how much I liked them.) It's a silly memory nowadays, but it speaks to me because of the subject matter. When I was that age, I dreamed of growing up to be an astronaut. A wish coveted by many children, but I was gonna go to space for real. At a slightly older age, I tried to build an actual space ship out of cardboard. I was gonna traverse among the stars and planets, then keep on flying farther and farther, 'cause nothing would ever stop me up there. I would be free, floating through beauty.
The funny thing is that that's still my dream. I still get out of my car to walk into my house at night and pause for a moment to stare at the sky, at the moon and the sparkling lights. When I was on a roller coaster at Magic Mountain, we were going straight up toward the moon, and I imagined we'd just keep going until we got there.
Unfortunately, I'm stuck on earth at the moment. Until that day when space travel becomes available to the public and I miraculously have enough money to book a flight to the stars, I find an escape in stories, whether they're mine or written by others. Books are way too awesome. So are the stars.
The day I wrote my first song.
Okay, so it's not really a song. It doesn't have a chorus or a bridge or any guitar chords to go along with it. But when I was age four, I wrote two lines in my journal and whipped up a tune for them. This was my first song:
and all the wayy
Stephanie goes to outer space
at dinner time
You are probably in awe right now. That right there is a work of genius.
I remember singing that song, quite proudly, at the dinner table. (That same day I may or may not have also penned a song about french fries and how much I liked them.) It's a silly memory nowadays, but it speaks to me because of the subject matter. When I was that age, I dreamed of growing up to be an astronaut. A wish coveted by many children, but I was gonna go to space for real. At a slightly older age, I tried to build an actual space ship out of cardboard. I was gonna traverse among the stars and planets, then keep on flying farther and farther, 'cause nothing would ever stop me up there. I would be free, floating through beauty.
The funny thing is that that's still my dream. I still get out of my car to walk into my house at night and pause for a moment to stare at the sky, at the moon and the sparkling lights. When I was on a roller coaster at Magic Mountain, we were going straight up toward the moon, and I imagined we'd just keep going until we got there.
Unfortunately, I'm stuck on earth at the moment. Until that day when space travel becomes available to the public and I miraculously have enough money to book a flight to the stars, I find an escape in stories, whether they're mine or written by others. Books are way too awesome. So are the stars.
1.29.2012
There's Always Money in the Banana Stand (i.e. What Arrested Development Can Teach Us About Storytelling) - Part 1
For those of you who have never seen an episode of the show Arrested Development - which aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006...you have been missing out.
It's clever, it's intriguing, and it is mind-blowingly hilarious.
It is quite possibly the best show in the history of television.
Why is that?
1. The Characters are each so different and so captivating. They all have their quirks.
2. The Dialogue is fresh, quick, and nothing like people say in real life. But also everything like real life, at the same time.
3. The Plot is simple enough that it's never too difficult to follow, yet also complex enough that numerous situations can arise out of it.
In the next segments of this series, I'll be going into more detail about how the show can help us writers create a fantastic story engine. For now, I'll leave you with this:
1.27.2012
Book of the Week: Delirium
Rating: 4 out of 5
Oh my, I've been reading so many amazing books recently. This one kept me going for five hours straight to see how it would end. Definitely check it out if you get a chance. Here's the blurb, courtesy of Goodreads:
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
12.13.2011
The Simulation
For my film production class, I was able to write and direct a short film based on a small segment of my current novel. Enjoy!
P.S. The protagonist in the first 250 words I posted for Brenda Drake's contest is 16, in case you were wondering ;)
P.S. The protagonist in the first 250 words I posted for Brenda Drake's contest is 16, in case you were wondering ;)
10.15.2011
Creature Spotlight: Pegasus
PEGASUS: A winged divine horse in Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology, the horse-god, Poseidon, and Medusa sired Pegasus. After his birth, he ascended to heaven where Zeus instructed him to bring lightning and thunder from Olympus. The Corinthian hero Bellerophon rode Pegasus to defeat the Chimera monster.
Pegasus grew to symbolize wisdom and fame from the Renaissance to the Middle Ages. He appears in numerous movies and video games. In modern times, the term Pegasus can simply refer to any winged horse.
What mythical creatures are you curious about? Help me choose what to post on next in the comments section.
In Greek mythology, the horse-god, Poseidon, and Medusa sired Pegasus. After his birth, he ascended to heaven where Zeus instructed him to bring lightning and thunder from Olympus. The Corinthian hero Bellerophon rode Pegasus to defeat the Chimera monster.
Pegasus grew to symbolize wisdom and fame from the Renaissance to the Middle Ages. He appears in numerous movies and video games. In modern times, the term Pegasus can simply refer to any winged horse.
What mythical creatures are you curious about? Help me choose what to post on next in the comments section.
8.02.2011
Creature Spotlight: Siren
SIREN: A mythological creature with the head of a female and the body of a bird.
In Greek mythology, sirens inhabited islands with flowery meadows. They lured sailors to shipwreck by singing enchanting music. In the Odyssey, the Sirens are said to offer "knowledge...ripe wisdom and a quickening of the spirit" in the words of their song. The end of the song meant death.
Sirens were sometimes confused with mermaids, but mythology teaches that they are not maidens of the sea. Once Christian beliefs dissuaded a belief in literal sirens, this creature came to symbolize worldly temptations.
Square in your ship's path are Sirens, crying
beauty to bewitch men coasting by;
woe to the innocent who hears that sound!
He will not see his lady nor his children
in joy, crowding about him, home from sea;
the Sirens will sing his mind away
on their sweet meadow lolling.
-Song of the Siren, Odyssey, Homer
What mythical creatures are you curious about? Help me choose what to post on next in the comments section.
In Greek mythology, sirens inhabited islands with flowery meadows. They lured sailors to shipwreck by singing enchanting music. In the Odyssey, the Sirens are said to offer "knowledge...ripe wisdom and a quickening of the spirit" in the words of their song. The end of the song meant death.
Sirens were sometimes confused with mermaids, but mythology teaches that they are not maidens of the sea. Once Christian beliefs dissuaded a belief in literal sirens, this creature came to symbolize worldly temptations.
beauty to bewitch men coasting by;
woe to the innocent who hears that sound!
He will not see his lady nor his children
in joy, crowding about him, home from sea;
the Sirens will sing his mind away
on their sweet meadow lolling.
-Song of the Siren, Odyssey, Homer
What mythical creatures are you curious about? Help me choose what to post on next in the comments section.
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