It's been a while since I've written a post - not from a lack of trying at all, oh no; I can't count the times that I told myself to sit down and write a blog post only to be disappointed by my lack of inspiration. (looking back at my previous post, it seems to be listed as being posted on the fifth - I guess that was the day I wrote it, but I didn't post it until a week after, last Saturday; I guess it doesn't time stamp with the date of publishing? Hum) Truth be told, I'm still rather uninspired, and this post will become one of my run of the mill (can I use anymore cliches in one sentence?) posts, disjointed and incorporating a whole slew of unrelated topics. For some reason, writing isn't coming to me as freely as it once did; I attempted to write on more obscure topics such as love or accomplishments, but I found my words were spent after just a paragraph or two and it'd really be a shame to post something so short and unsubstantial. Not to say that this is any more substantial by any means - I just need to post something.
Note: goddamnit. This was originally entitled "A week in review" until I just realized I already have a post called that. Goes to show how absolutely uninspired I am.
Another note: leave it to me to go with the wryest and most apathetic title known to man.
Last note: I promise my next post will have a legitimate theme. I don't know any better, but I'm not sure how well-received my posts with multiple subheadings are; they annoy me sometimes, and I can't imagine what the general you must think.
Last last note: please read this.
Homestretch
I constantly talk about how "it's hard for me to believe it's already [insert day or month here]!" but, really, it's hard for me to believe it's already more than halfway done November. I'm moving back home in just twelve days. I really lucked out this year, only having one final exam during the exam period on the 8th of December; given that the last day of class is the 28th, it'd be truly senseless for me to stay on residence for another ten days, considering 1. I hardly ever study so it's not like I'd be cracking down on my books for a week and a half, 2. I'd run out of things to do after the first day of having free time and consequently would go crazy, and 3. I'd go crazy anyways. I really am looking forward to returning home for a month; my visits home on the weekends got progressively more and more nostalgic, and having just been back this previous weekend (and seeing two of my best friends making life seem normal again) it got a bit tougher to leave, but the feeling was pacified in knowing I'd be back in two weeks, anyways. That, and when I was home I bought Batman: Arkham Asylum for PS3 and I'm already missing it because it's so damn good. Oh, and I guess I miss my family.
Although the distance in time is quickly winding down day by day, the hurdles of schoolwork ahead of me still tower over me as tall as ever. I'm down to just two essays to submit in addition to three final tests I have leading up to and occurring on the final day of classes; not overly difficult to survive, but the fact that next week houses a test on both Tuesday and Wednesday as well as one of the essays being due on Friday is slightly stressful. (if you're keen you might've deduced that the final essay and test are due/occur on the last day of class, so in two Mondays I'm sure I'll be the epitome of joyousness) I don't mean to head into the last two weeks with an ego, but given that this semester has been my most successful semester of university, I can't help but inflate myself with confidence when writing my essays or studying for my tests. That being said, I'll go the extra mile, considering I want my (hopefully) good marks to be that much better.
Like a regular novelist
As a refresher, I'm participating in this years National Novel Writing Month, the aim of which is to attempt to write a full work of fiction with at least 50,000 words. How rude of me to announce my participation and neglect to provide updates! (not really that rude) The good news is, I'm finally happy with my concept. For the first little while I found myself writing a few thousand words before trashing it in favour of a minor plot tweak or because I wasn't pleased with what I had written. That's how I seem to function: I don't move forwards until I'm absolutely content with the introduction, and it only took killing one of the main characters immediately to get me such happiness. I sound vile. I do not condone killing. I found my writing was constantly ramming itself into a brick wall - that is, until I decided that one of the characters was to die, and in my sadistic murder I found rejuvenation; the death has become the central plot point, naturally changing everything else I had planned. Because of that, I'm really writing without a direction, making up the plot quite literally as I go - something that the officials of NaNoWriMo encourages. (writing without thinking, that is. The editing is to come later) I'm afraid I'm not enclosing any more of a synopsis. I haven't told anyone else, and I don't actually know if I will. I'm sure down the line when it's complete and you ask nicely - I take cash only, and I'd like material gifts, too - you can read it.
My progress? Last night, I just cracked 10k words. Given the structure of the activity, I've squandered away the first half of the month to only come away with one fifth of the minimum of what's required. I've read tweets on Twitter (follow me. @m_spad) to the NaNoWriMo account, reporting of astronomical numbers - I saw someone saying they're over 100,000 words, and that distresses me. I have just about two weeks left to reach 50,000 (that is, if my story even comes to a definitive conclusion with 50k words), and as previously lamented my next two weeks is full of academic misfortune, so I'm already accepting that I will not complete the task by the end of November. Fear not, however! I'm not abandoning hope altogether. I've never truly been as enthralled with my project as I am with my current one. I know that past the end of the month, regardless of word count, I'll be intent on continuing my writing. For the sake of a goal, I hope to complete an entire first draft of my story by the end of the year, and given that I have December in its entirety for free time, I should likely succeed. That's my plan for December. That and finish Dexter. It's so good.
Trailermania
I love movies. (no way) This week was a particularly good one in terms of fantastic trailers hitting the internet for upcoming movies, and they've sent my heart aflutter with serious excitement. Aside from what I'll spend time talking about, I'm 100% excited for Snow White and the Huntsman after watching (and re-watching) the bloody fantastic trailer for it. The visuals are delicious. I'm able to buy that even Kristen Stewart can be the fairest of them all, because she looks pretty fine in this trailer. Scuse me, I feel like I need to wash my hands for calling Kristen Stewart attractive..
Over the summer, I read the entire Hunger Games book trilogy in three days. Imagine my excitement to hear that Jennifer Lawrence, or, freaking Mystique from X-Men: First Class which is only my favourite movie of the year, was to play Katniss. Admittedly, I had my reservations about the film adaption; I worried (and actually still worry) that the love triangle will become too much of a centralized plot point to cater towards the idiot Twilight fans of our generation. But, by god, my worries were quite literally erased after watching the trailer: goddamnit, it's amazing. I've seldom been more pleased with a book-to-film adaption; this is the first time that I've been a legitimate fan of a book before it was translated onto film. (I admit, I think that I read the first Harry Potter book right before the first movie came out.. regardless, I didn't have the time to establish in my mind my own interpretation of the world, so therefore as I read through the rest of the series feverishly, I couldn't really shake the images of Dan, Rupert and Emma from my mind when I read about Harry, Ron and Hermione) Perhaps the other time I was able to do so was with Watchmen, but I'd rather not think about that movie. I digress: the trailer has, literally, captured exactly what I had in my mind. Specifically, I'm not exaggerating when I say that the training room sequence is 100% exactly what I pictured as I read the book, and it's got me questioning if the creators of the movie entered my brain and thieved my ideas. I get chills as the countdown sounds at the end of the trailer, ending in a far too short glimpse of the actual Games with the tribute's frenzy. Can't wait for March.
For a post about incoherence, that's excessive. I promise a cohesive theme next time - and maybe less words. (looks like I got into the spirit of NaNoWriMo! Damn, I could've used these words for my total..)
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