NewfoundRhapsody

NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-10-31T11:33:00.000-04:00

After enjoying last year's NaNoWriMo, I plan to start up again tomorrow for the international month of book-writing frenzy. I have a good idea as to what I plan to write this month, so that's a relief. I think that NaNoWriMo helps any interested writer push themselves. It also helps you get over editing fever, which often keeps you from making progress. So, batten down the hatches, readers. Perhaps you should get writing as well.

Hugo

2011-07-22T09:54:00.001-04:00

When I first started this blog, I mentioned Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Now, Martin Scorsese will take on the film adaptation of the expertly illustrated book. A trailer is below. I cannot honestly say that I am very happy with the overall look, but it should be a cute movie nonetheless. Maybe good to watch on DVD?

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is writted by Brian Selznick. It can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Hunger Games

2011-07-22T09:44:00.001-04:00

Suzanne Collins certainly kept me on the edge of my seat in the teen fiction novel The Hunger Games. The first book in a trilogy, it is soon to be a major motion picture (that seems like an antiquated term now). However, I must say that while I read the book, I did not want to eat anything. The descriptions of food throughout the story are so poignant. It will be a book that will make you experience many types of emotions. Now, I just have to read the other two books.

The Hunger Games is written by Suzanne Collins. It can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your through appropriate sources for your e-reader.

The Help

2011-05-16T11:56:00.000-04:00

I recently purchased The Help for my Sony e-reader. Told from multiple viewpoints, this period piece captures the spirits of wealthy white women and the black women that work for them. Though it feels very real, this story is actually a work of fiction. It will leave you feeling angry, tense, relieved, and somber. Dialogue is written with such character, you will feel as though you have heard each word aloud.

The Help is written by Kathryn Stockett. You can purchase this title on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through appropriate sources for your e-reader.

Read it first! The Help will be released as a motion picture in 2011. For updates, visit imdb.

Room

2011-05-16T11:45:00.000-04:00

During a long trip, I found time to devour this simply-titled book. Varying from the usual, Room takes advantage of the voice of a child to tell a chilling, engaging book. I would hate to give away any of the story, so this will not be deeply reviewed. However, if you have been looking for a good read, I suggest picking up this title today.

Room is written by Emma Donoghue. You can easily purchase this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or for your e-reader.

The Rising Phoenix and Diving Whale: Porcelain Doll

2011-03-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

For a moment, Cyprus had been amused by the passing youth from the city streets. She had witnessed his unfortunate drenching at the hands of a negligent kitchen boy. However, the moment faded as she drew closer to home. She bit her lip as she entered the luxurious villa complete with family dragons*. Inside, several members of the hired staff were setting the table for dinner. Other than their presence, the house was empty.

"Lady Cyprus," a gruff but friendly voice called to her from the main entrance, "Your mother has asked for me to tell you that she will be back soon. She has gone to pick up her dress for next week's gala."

The bearer of the voice was a large, friendly woman that had worked for her family for as long as Cyprus could remember. Though she was called Thela, many outside of the villa called her by many other names. She had served as Cyprus' nanny and friend in addition to her other chores around the estate.

Cyprus smiled and dipped her head sweetly. "How are you today, Thela?"

"Well enough, darling. Where were you earlier?" Thela raised an eyebrow.

"I went to the river to relax," Cyprus replied.

Thela's usually cheerful mood darkened. "You are not supposed to be going there, Lady Cyprus. You know that. I won't tell your parents, but you stay away from that river!"

As Thela stomped away to shout at a lazy worker, Cyprus clenched her fists angrily. She had always been kept like a rare bird never allowed to leave the nest. She was very clever and had marks at the top of her level in university. Yet her parents were so nervous of her being hurt and forbade her from going near water. She had been told that when she was younger, she had nearly drowned. However, Cyprus could not recall this time of her life. She only knew that she was tired of living inside of a doll's house where she was dressed up and presented when necessary and discarded otherwise.

Joining the Frenzy

2011-03-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I am a glutton for writing with complete and utter abandon. Hours spent researching items, consulting online dictionaries and thesauri, and typing maniacally on my keyboard. However, joining this year's Script Frenzy will be a new experience. The point of Script Frenzy is to write a script for a stage play, television show, graphic novel, or screenplay in the month of April. Another 30 days, another project to strengthen creative writing skills. If you are thinking of participating, visit scriptfrenzy.org for more information. Also, your NaNoWriMo login works just as well. If you want to find me, search newfoundjoye.

New NewfoundRhapsody

2011-02-23T12:24:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty certain that the redesign to NewfoundRhapsody is quite apparent. I hope that this look feels more unified with my overall online presence. If you have been looking back to this site every so often wondering where the posts are, your wait is *almost* over. You can expect more items in my bookshelf and more reviews. I might possibly participate in JunNoWriMo, so I'll keep you posted. Hope you are ready to read!

The Rising Phoenix and Diving Whale: Sudden Decision

2011-02-23T12:18:00.002-05:00

As he looked at the wooden door, Djuri suddenly realized that he could not walk through that threshold as a failure. The Parus, a family of elves would look down their noses at his family once again. They would become a laughingstock of the neighborhood. No, he could not take that step. Instead, he placed Gigi's bag of seashells onto the ground gently and ran. She called after him only causing him to pick up his pace. He was certain that her red ears were lying flat against her skull and her tail drooping, but he would not turn back.

Wheezing, he stopped next to a tavern to catch his breath and coughed loudly. A kitchen boy splashed dirty water on him through the window and he shouted at him. Nonplussed, the boy's head disappeared inside the tavern and Djuri tried to shake the water from his hair. His arm struck someone and he bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he looked at the person only to see a pair of sapphire eyes peering from a head covering. He stared at them for a long moment and the owner suddenly giggled.

The girl's clothes were several shades of blue. She wore a traditional desert yukae dress that was formed by wrapping fabrics carefully into place and securing them with tight folds. Her entourage, two uniformed dog changechildren, growled at him and sent him running again with a brandishing of their spears. Djuri collapsed a few minutes later in the city's centre and tried to fan himself with his hat.

Some Standards* walked by on patrol and nodded to him politely. It was only then that Djuri realized how foolish he was. He barely had a scale to his name and was without any supplies or clothes. He leaned against the wall of a building and closed his eyes. He opened them immediately when he was tapped by what felt like a staff or pole. Standing over him was a man with a permanent look of disappointment upon his face. He wore burgundy robes despite the heat and a large straw hat. Like Djuri guessed he was holding a staff.

"Get up," the man said. "I haven't got all day, boy; come along." The man began walking in the direction of the city limits without faltering.

For a split-second, Djuri thought of this as a call of fate, but he was too busy running after the mysterious man to think about it for long. With a deep breath, he exited the city of his birth, his whole life's history that had been written behind its walls beginning a new story in the open desert.

Looking forward to JaNoWriMo...

2010-12-06T12:26:00.000-05:00

So, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was a huge success for me and several of my writing buddies. I truly did make some headway into a fairly decent novel (in my opinion, of course), but I did not get a completed draft.

Unlike my usual free-form writing style, I chose to do something a bit more planned. I created a really cohesive outline for my novel. It actually helped me stay focused. Whenever I changed my thought process, I could alter the future of the novel. That way, I don't have to think about what I did before or how I will tie things together with my new thought.

Since I made quite a good start with my work (and finished with 58,535 words, which is about halfway though my novel), I plan to do some writing in January once the holidays are over and life calms down a bit. January Novel Writing Month is all me, so if you didn't participate in November, consider doing your own JaNoWriMo. I'll be writing.

NaNoWriMo!

2010-10-14T11:46:00.001-04:00

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins in just a few short weeks. Thanks to sushimustwrite—whom I discovered on Hunch and follow on Twitter—I am ready to participate in a month of writing fever. The idea of NaNoWriMo is to write (at least) a 175-page (50,000 word) novel in 30 days. This novel idea began in 1999 and has grown into a big deal. In order to help potential authors actually complete a novel, the challenge is to just complete your story without the constant editing and lax deadlines. Instead, you are given a cut-off date and incentive to do or don't. NaNoWriMo is international, don't let the name fool you. You can even meet up with other WriMos in your area by utilizing the forums. So do you have what it takes?

The Rising Phoenix and Diving Whale: Introduction

2010-08-26T19:33:00.004-04:00

This was not the first time that Djuri had completely failed the examination for Marahshah's Standard Guard*, but it was the last time that his parents would let him get away with doing so. He was twenty-two and had tried to enter the service more than twenty-two times—this was his twenty-third attempt. As he walked through the dusty streets and blaring heat in the southern city of Sandhh*, he heard his name being called. He turned around and saw Gigi, a fox changechild* waving at him.

"Did you pass?" She had a bag of seashells and was struggling to carry it.

He took it from her and slung it over his back. "Where did you get these?"

"Bought 'em off a merchant," she replied with a shrug. "Your examination?"

"Why would you buy these? You'll just let them clog the communal room like everything else you waste your wages on." He complained. They lived at an "oasis community"* where families had small apartments but shared a large common area that held many tables, chairs and bookshelves.

"You failed again?" Gigi demanded, her voice ringing in his ears.

He dropped the bag of seashells and she screeched again checking to see how many had broken. "Really, what can I do, Gigi? My parents can barely afford to buy food. The Guard pays a hefty weight of scales* and it is the best way for me to provide for them."

Gigi laughed sarcastically. "The last thing your parents need is for you to 'try' to provide for them. You should start with yourself first," she chided.

He frowned at her but knew deep inside that she was right. Although promising, he had always fallen short of his parent's expectations—mediocre marks in school, an average talent for sports, and no special abilities to boast of. The thought of his pathetic self depressed him. When they arrived before their oasis community Sandhh Dunes, he stood at the threshold for a long decisive moment staring at the arched front door for what felt like eternity.

The Rising Phoenix and Diving Whale

2010-08-26T19:22:00.004-04:00

While on NationStates, a game based off of a book called Jennifer Government, I decided to start writing a story in the forum. It's a series of posts mostly based upon a world of my own imagination. It is a place where magic exists and mythology is real. Either way, it is a work-in-progress and I am putting it up here for anyone to read. Some words are native to Marahshah or Aquashah, so you might need to look them up. Words with an * after them can be found in the dictionary section of my factbook for Marahshah and words with a º after them can be found in the dictionary section of Aquashah's factbook.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. You can see all of these posts in the bookshelf as well.

[UPDATE! I have added a page to my blog that houses the dictionary. I will update as necessary, so you can open the dictionary in one tab and read through my story in the other!]

The art of the short story

2010-06-01T08:56:00.003-04:00

While a novel might be considered a full-course meal, don't sell the short story short. Even if you might consider them appetizers, short stories do the work of a novel much faster and often with greater impact. There are some very interesting tales that I would recommend reading if you have the time.

"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor is a short story that I have read more than once during literature courses (once in high school, once in college). It is mostly taught to illustrate foreshadowing, but it is a great story to read at least once. Everyone has their own view of what the story means, so you should enjoy forming your own opinion.

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" is by far one of my favorite short stories. Most people have read this selection before, but I couldn't speak about short stories without bringing up Poe.

Although not a favorite for everyone, H.P. Lovecraft's short stories are essential little horrific pieces that are very well written and surprisingly dark for the times. "The Call of Cthulu" is a fan favorite, but I have read and enjoyed many of his other stories. If you have an attraction to the macabre, I would suggest checking him out.

Another favorite of mine is Ray Bradbury's collection of short stories in The Illustrated Man. The stories are very well written and extremely diverse. I like his take on technology and its usage in his stories.

Finally, the short stories in David Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter were very interesting. From the opening act to the very last page in the book, I enjoyed each story presented. If you have the time, stop by your local bookstore and give it a skim or order it offline.

Book as art

2010-03-29T11:26:00.002-04:00

Bookmaking is a very technical art. In order to make a book, your measurements must be exact, your cuts must be precise and your execution must be flawless. It is due to this fact that hand-made books are a real treat. Perhaps one of the most impressive books made by hand are pop-up and movable books. In addition to the ordinary issues and challenges you face with making a book, you have dimensions to consider. As print continues to slow, I hope that the world will not forget the pop-up book. The tactile nature of touching and moving a piece of paper is maybe not that profitable, but it certainly is exciting.

For more about pop-up books, visit UNT Libraries for their history of pop-up and movable books. It is very helpful in understanding its history and is even set up quite nicely.

Image via Gizmodo

The Thirteenth Tale

2010-02-16T14:57:00.003-05:00

I often judge books by their cover. It is frowned upon, but I am a very visual person. The Thirteenth Tale had a cover that I was not terribly impressed by. However, after much deliberation, I decided to give Diane Setterfield's novel a quick skim to see if it would be at all interesting. I was intrigued by the first page and hoped that the rest of the book would prove to be as engaging.

Now that I have read this book, I must say that it really did keep my attention for long periods of time as I constantly read paragraph after paragraph. The mystery is what I enjoyed most. If you have not had the pleasure of reading The Thirteenth Tale, I would recommend borrowing it from your local library or purchasing it from the book store (or department store) of your choice.

Piccolo

2010-02-16T14:05:00.007-05:00

Back in college, I took a book arts class. For one of our projects, we had to write (and craft) a book with a cohesive beginning, middle and end. I created a somewhat shy and imaginative character named Piccolo. The story was completely illustrated with simple blocks of texts to give the images a purpose. Now, I think I will revisit that project (on a bigger scale and with a more engaging story) and publish it here. Be on the lookout for updated information and you can check the bookshelf for more.

Breaking your block

2010-01-27T09:59:00.003-05:00

I stumbled across a really creative way to help when you have writer's block. It hits us at any time, no matter how well we write or how dedicated we are to our craft. WeBook created the 911 Writer's Block telephone to help you. It can just give you ideas, make you feel better, or direct you to a forum for even more assistance. Give it a try next time you are blocked.

Catherine Jinks' Genius

2009-12-09T11:20:00.002-05:00

Apparently, Australia has a lot of talented authors and illustrators. I want to hang out over there for a while and get some inspiration. One Australian author whose work I enjoy reading is Catherine Jinks. She writes young adult books that are very exciting and fresh. I am a fan of her series about Cadel, a young genius. The first of the series, Evil Genius was a delight to read. I was so glad when Genius Squad was released and I could read the next part of the story.

She doesn't just write for young adults and kids though. You can check out some of her adult fiction if you are looking for something more mature. As for me, I am inspired by her young adult fiction, so I have nothing to say about her other works. If you have time, borrow some of her works from your local library or buy a few of her books from the store.

Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2009-11-30T15:19:00.002-05:00

I love sharing some of my favorite books with the world and what better way than through small entries like this one. Illustration is amazing to me and well-written works are a great escape for me. Putting both together—genius. No matter how old I am, I know I will enjoy looking at pictures and reading stories. If you have this same visual appreciation, you should check out The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It is extremely creative and I drew lots of inspiration from this "long" tale. Next time you go to the book store or library, browse through the first pages and see if you aren't hooked.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

2009-11-23T11:50:00.004-05:00

I am very pleased with Michael Scott's series of books concerning the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel. The language is very smooth and caters well to the young adult audience. Since I am not a young adult, I find it to sometimes be slightly uninspired, but I think that he has done a very good job of knowing his readers. The books have plenty of mythology and legend to keep you on the internet learning more about them as well.

I have read the first two books, The Alchemyst and The Magician, but I have not purchased The Sorceress yet—waiting for paperback. The books flow very well between each other without being too redundant for those who are not beginning the series from the second book. I think that if you have a niece or nephew, aged 12–17, they may enjoy reading this series. The Necromancer, the fourth installment of the series will be available for purchase in May.

So, even if you aren't a kid, consider trying this series. It may provide some inspiration for your own writings.

Seasons :: Introduction

2009-11-10T22:27:00.008-05:00

This is my latest story. I never have a clear direction of what it is that I am writing, but I usually start off very well (if I may say so myself). This story—Seasons, I call it—is inspired by several things: Captain Planet , Avatar: The Last Airbender, Abarat by Clive Barker, mythology, fantasy and countless other sources. Like most of my stories, the main character is female. Nothing against men, but I just relate to women more. Regardless, this is only the introduction to the story, but I'd love for you to read it. Please, let me know your thoughts and I will be updating periodically. Turn the page to read Seasons.

Before time began, the Oracle molded the world, Grayen, using its hands. With its hair, it made grass and forests. Using its breath, the Oracle created wind and with its tears created the seas. From its heart, the Oracle created the Elements—Wind, Flame, Earth, and Water. To care for the Elements, the Oracle used its eyes to make the four Seasons. Spring, the first Season, was pure and gentle and symbolized new life. Summer, the second Season, was warm and loving, but had the power to create turmoil. Autumn, the third Season, represented abundance and wealth. The final Season, Winter, stood for change. The Oracle created a home for the Seasons in the skies of Grayen and called the celestial land the Isle of Awakening.

Spring was put in charge of the Elements of Wind. She was a kind Season and allowed her people the ability of flight, healing, and growth. Summer watched the Elements of Flame and gave them the power to cook and create tools. Autumn, watcher of the Elements of Earth, gave his people the strength to work the land and keep it balanced. Winter, the Elements of Water’s ruler, gave her people the power to control water and the beings within it. Together, the Seasons shared their rule of the Elements and the Elements dwelled happily together under the rule of the Seasons. The Oracle was pleased and became the sun, the bringer of light; and the moon, the bringer of darkness.

Every child born in the world of Grayen received an elemental ability called Flayer. As the Elements mixed, the Flayer varied resulting in astounding and mysterious powers. Generation after generation provided new and exciting youth with eager minds and hearts. Then, Derth was born.

Derth was unusual from birth. He had astonishing Flayer of metal and ice. Applying his learning from the smiths of the town of Ire, he created strange objects. Using his inventions, he was able to destroy trees, land, and creatures—he brought death to everywhere in Grayen. With several followers from all of the Elements, he declared himself the new Oracle. He laid siege on the Isle of Awakening using specialized flying machines and the Seasons vanished. The Elements began to endure famine, disease, and harsh weather. Times became unbearable, but Derth continued to reign ruthlessly over the Elements with his powers of crystal and iron and his adamant followers.

Grayen was reborn every year as the Seasons’ powers changed the land, but it seemed as if nothing would be the same without the actual balance of the four Seasons. However, something was stirring all over the land. It could be felt by every Element and even by Derth himself. During the seventh year of his reign, in the village of Morovio, a group was gathered because something strange had happened. A baby was born—a baby without Flayer.

Newfound purpose

2009-11-09T20:45:00.002-05:00

Originally, I had set aside NewfoundRhapsody for illustration challenges. However, I think that I need to have more participants to be truly motivated for that kind of blog. Therefore, I am re-purposing this blog for literary works. Surprisingly, I write several stories all the time! Most of my works are for young adults, but I am sure I will branch out of this phase at some point. Until then, please enjoy my musings. I have not true idea how often I will update, but for the moment, I'll try to put some of my original stories up here. Check the tags for periodic story updates. I may make changes and such, so bear with me. Longer works will be available for download or online viewing.