"This? It is called a Pensieve... I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind... At these times... I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines that at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form." -Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling pg. 597]
The main cause of my need for a Pensieve is, I believe, this outline I've been trying to make. It's for the rewrite of The Lullaby. I've added some new events and rearranged a few things and I wanted to get it out all in order, chapter by chapter. First I write out the major event in the chapter then all the smaller things that have to happen. For example, here's the piece for Chapter Three.
Chapter Three:
Tilo learns that the other Giants don't trust him.
- Tilo is given Vant
- The lullaby is heard for the first time
- Tilo decides to leave Syng
I felt like I was doing good until I got to Chapter Nine, then I got this weird feeling that I sometimes get when I haven't fully processed something or have done something that I think I did a little too quickly. It's a strange feeling like I just haven't done something right. It's hard to describe but, once I get that feeling, everything just goes down hill from there. I started feeling like it wasn't making sense. So after planning out Chapter Eighteen, I just decided to write down the ideas I have for after that point in a paragraph and left it at that. I think I do better with having just general events anyway. I don't really relish the idea of already knowing every single thing that is going to happen; it leaves no room for flexibility, to allow the story to go where it needs to go.
Speaking of The Lullaby, I'm still working on actually writing Chapter Five. It's my longest chapter so far, standing, right now, at six pages. There's still one more important scene that I must portray before the chapter is over so I'm thinking it will probably end up at seven or eight pages. I know what must happen in the end but I don't know exactly how to get there. I'm sure I'll figure it out as I go, though. My writing has a habit of doing that.
Something else that has been giving me a strange feeling is the Heirs to Esio series (if you don't know what this is, as I don't believe I've actually posted about it before, check out the link at the top). I almost don't feel like writing it. I haven't actually written any of the five books yet, or planned out any major events besides some surrounding the main conflict. Maybe that's the cause of why I feel this way. Maybe it's because I'm just not bursting with ideas for it at the moment because, we all have to admit, when you get new ideas for your story over and over, it feels great and, it's pretty disappointing when that great sense of being goes away. I'm also sort of feeling like the only reason I'm hanging onto it is because these were my first characters like ever and I want them to have a story, and I want to use them. Maybe that's why I should write it. I think the only thing that's really making me keep hold of it is my friend Josh wants to read it and that's not a very strong reason. I plan on writing the first one in June or July. Maybe that will change how I feel toward it. Maybe; I can see why Rebbsie hates the word.
I'm still waiting for my the poem I submitted to Teen Ink to be approved. You remember when I submitted it don't you? It was only, oh, four weeks ago. I knew that this might happen, especially seeing as poetry gets the most submissions, but it's still slightly disappointing. Like I've said before, my one fear is not being rejected, but not getting a reply. There is a question under their FAQ which addresses this issue. It says it could take anywhere from a few days to a month. Well, it's almost been a month so you would think I would get a reply soon. Here's to hoping that that's a true statement.
Teen Ink also hosts contests but that's not much different than submitting a work. Any work that is submitted is instantly put into the contest that that work applies to. I've been thinking about entering some contests lately. My English teacher has submitted my class in a few, Reflections (which most schools have, I've been meaning to post that) and one that's for the whole country. I can't remember exactly what it's called but I do know that veterans pick the prompt. This year's was 'Does Patriotism Still Matter?'. Grammy tells me that she has one for me that's hosted by Olive Garden. She's going to give me the paper soon. I'm thinking I may write a City in the Sky story for that. It'll get me started on it.
I do have a bit of good news. Madeline, Leo, and I all won NaNo. That's right, we all passed 50,000 words. Leo's story isn't finished, and I expect it will be some time before it is but she got there. She wrote most of hers in the last week of the event. As Leo says she's one of those 'week before' people. Madeline and I agreed to switch novels at the end of the month so I'm currently working on reading her novel Of Smoldered Harbors which is quite good. It's a very original idea.
While we're on the subject of reading material, I have six new books from book fair (bringing my book count up to 429). I will start reading those after I finish the Wonderful Week (or three) of Harry Potter. Speaking of that, here's a Harry Potter tidbit to end this post with, just as we started it with one. I found this quote that I think is really amazing. "... If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." Sirius says on page 525. I find that to be very true. I have also found another thing that bugs me, again to do with the art. It's the little drawing for Chapter Thirty-One, the sphinx. I don't know why, maybe it's the mane or the lack of shading on the ground around her, but it just looks like not as much effort was put into it as the others. I find it rather strange.
I do apologize for this post being so long. I guess there was just a lot of stuff I needed to discuss. If you read through the whole thing you are absolutely wonderful.
No comments:
Post a Comment