Subject: A Song of Ice and Fire
# of Icons: 50
Examples:

The rest are located here at my icon journal.

Just a quick post to say that if anybody is stumped in writer's block or just wants a tiny challenge, we have our watcher writing prompt up over at Merry Sisters of Fate (also a good way to meet LJ'ers whose blogs you wouldn't normally find and likewise for them to meet you).

Hope to see you over there!

I haven’t seen this anywhere else, which surprises me, but ”True North”, starring Sean Bean and Michelle Yeoh and directed by Asif Kapadia, who did “The Warrior” is being released on DVD (Region 1) on September 23rd. Wheeeee! I’ve wanted to see this movie ever since I first heard about it, and … now I will.

***

Also, I finished House of Sand and Fog and I have to say that ( Spoilers )

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My BSG rewatch continues. I watched “Unfinished Business” - my absolute favorite episode from season 3 (and one of my favorite episodes ever!). Then I watched the Extended Edition; then I watched both versions with the commentary track. (I am nothing if not thorough, people!) And then I watched “The Passage.” And THEN I watched a whole bunch of videoblogs, but was really only struck by the one where James Callis imitates EJO AND Mary McDonnell. BWA! This all took about six days, of course, so I suspect that by the time I’m finished with the re-watch, I won’t have that much time to wait before season 4.5. Yay?

( Spoilers for Unfinished Business – BSG 3.09 )

( Spoilers for Unfinished Business – Extended Edition )

( Spoilers for The Passage – BSG 3.10 )

In the past week or so, I've spent a lot of time searching. Don't know exactly what I was looking for and yeah, sometimes I wonder what the heck is wrong with me. Actually I'm sure I wonder this too much.

For the record, I'm not going to find my soul in this and you probably won't either.

Writer's block:
Some say it's purely laziness. A lack of focus, or a bad case of procrastination. Some say you can't call yourself a true writer if you don't sit down every day and type. I guess I'm not a true writer and could care less, really. Doesn't mean I'm going to quit writing just because some person got up one day and decided to tell me what did or didn't make me me. But if it makes others feel better to knock out the competition by telling them to go home because they don't do it the same way, then more power to them.

Myself? I think I'll go sit in the corner and continue doing things the way I always have.

Well, if I could. Right now, I'm afraid I have a sort of writer's block. I'm not brain dead and I have plenty of scenes in my head. I actually have three storylines plotted for what follows PC. These are written down, along with sheets detailing my characters' growths through each book.

But. I can't write. I don't even want to write. I thought my problem was just with me, but it's not. I can't read either. I don't want to read. I don't think I needed a break from writing and I'm not exactly upset about this. I haven't lost interest in my books or my characters. It's all still there. Except I'm not.

Got me. I don't know what's wrong. I guess all I can do is ride it out and see what happens.

So I just found out that Freema Agyeman will be joining Jamie Bamber in the new Law & Order: UK/London. Which means Doctor Who fandom has now officially collided with BSG fandom. I thought it would never happen, but it did.

AWESOME :)

Favorite t-shirts spotted this week:

Let the Wookie win.

I'm no longer with stupid.

EVERY TIME YOU POST WITH CAP LOCKS ON,
ee cummings kills a kitten.

Also, lots of people have asked about what's happening with the AGATB movie. So here's your answer: not so much yet.

The script is being hammered out. That's where things stand. So, just to clarify: There has been no casting, no production start date, no secret Hollywood cabal meetings (or none that I was invited to and asked to bring snacks). As soon as I hear anything more, I'll post it. Promise.

And now, back to BOVINE. Five more days of deadline. And I've promised myself if I work hard today, I will go see DARK KNIGHT as my reward and I will mix the M&M's into the popcorn.

From the Class of 2k8: "Liz Gallagher grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and was an English major at Penn State. She worked on the editorial staff of Highlights for Children. She is a graduate of the University of Denver Publishing Institute and the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her home in Seattle is within chomping distance of the Fremont Troll." Learn more here.

What kind of teenager were you?

I was the kind who has friends across different groups, but isn't really part of any one clique. I loved to go bowling and shopping (still do!). I was New Kids on the Block's biggest fan. I played softball. I watched way too much TV, but now I think that experience prepped me for the pop-culture prowess that I enjoy today. I know that I read a lot as a kid and teenager, but I can't remember exactly what I read except for Kurt Vonnegut, late in high school.

Could you tell us about your apprenticeship as a writer?

I've been so lucky. I'd have to say that my apprenticeship started with my amazing kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Niccolo; she taught me to love writing. At Penn State, I took three fiction workshops with the same professor; that's the point at which I started reading like a writer. Later, I worked at Highlights for Children as part of the editorial team; reading submissions helped me think more critically about writing. Then, I went to Vermont College and got to work with Lisa Jahn-Clough, Ron Koertge, M.T. Anderson (author interview), some lady named Cynthia Leitich Smith, and the rest of the faculty there; that's where I gained the power to believe in myself as a writer.

I had the honor of being one of your advisors at the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Why did you decide to get an MFA? How would you describe the experience?

And I had the honor of being one of your students! I thought, correctly, that being in an MFA program would give me permission--in my own mind--to prioritize writing. I wanted the structure and the feedback.

I was led to Vermont after falling head over heels for Feed (Candlewick, 2004) by M. T. Anderson and finding out that he was faculty head at Vermont. Then it seemed as if every book I was reading and enjoying was written by a faculty member or grad of the program, so it was a no-brainer to apply.

I would describe the experience as school that doesn't feel like school because it's so much fun and you get to read and talk about reading and write and talk about writing. I learned from all of the faculty and from many of the other students, and I grew so much as a writer.

Could you tell us about your path to publication? Any sprints or stumbles along the way?

It wasn't very stumbly, actually. I think I managed to meet great mentors along the way, so that when I was ready to submit my manuscript, it went smoothly. Lara Zeises (author interview) has become a close friend and she's the one who guided me through the submission process.

We're both students of Lisa's (me at Vermont; Lara at Emerson). Toward the end of my time at Vermont, I started submitting to agents. Rosemary Stimola (agent interview) signed me right before graduation, and I think it only took her two weeks to sell Opposite to Wendy Lamb [Wendy Lamb Books at Random House]; I'd call that a sprint.

Congratulations on the release of your debut novel, The Opposite of Invisible (Wendy Lamb, 2008)! Could you tell us a bit about it?

Thank you! I wrote most of it during the Vermont program. It's set in Seattle--I live here and it's my love letter to the city. It's about a fifteen-year-old girl, Alice, who's coming out of the cocoon she's (metaphorically) lived in with her best friend, an artist boy named Jewel. Her world is getting bigger as she makes new friends and tries new directions in art. She's figuring out the difference between a crush and love, and love and best friendship.

What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?

I love Halloween time and wanted to set a story then. While walking past a big junk shop in Fremont (the neighborhood of the book, and the one where I live now, though I didn't at the time), I realized that it was the perfect setting for a Halloween story. The original first line--"It all started with this dress."--came to me on the page, and I just kept going.

What was the timeline between spark and publication, and what were the major events along the way?

I started writing this story as a short story for my first Vermont workshop, so that means I started writing in the late fall/early winter of 2005. It was published in January 2008.

The whole ride seems like a major event! Having feedback from Lisa, Ron, Tobin, and then you, Cyn, was always amazing. My first rejection from an agent, over the phone, was a major event; it was disappointing but I knew that even getting a phone call was a big step forward.

Once sold, I've loved attending ALA conferences and meeting librarians. I've also enjoyed meeting lots of Seattle's booksellers. And I became a member of The Class of 2k8 (co-presidents' interview)--I get to celebrate 27 releases this year, not just my own!

Actually, seeing Vermont friends' books come out while waiting on my own -- especially Sarah Aronson's Head Case (Roaring Brook, 2007)(author interview) and Carrie Jones' (Flux, 2007)(Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend (Flux, 2007)(author interview) and Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape)(Flux, 2008), and Zu Vincent's The Lucky Place (Front Street, 2008)--has been so wonderful.

Early on, Vermont grad Andy Auseon was a big role model for me. I love his Funny Little Monkey (Harcourt, 2005), and I think he has another one coming out soon [Jo-Jo and the Fiendish Lot (HarperCollins, 2009)].

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

A lot of my roadblocks are psychological. I'm the type of writer who can type and type but not be sure what I'm saying. I need someone who I trust to reflect it back to me--to say, this is what you've got on the page. I'm much more talented with character and voice than I am with plot. So it takes a lot for me to feel as if I've succeeded in making something happen in the narrative and seem like it isn't too mechanical or forced.

Logistically, having deadlines for Vermont really helped me. The whole "butt-in-chair" thing can be hard for me when I'm only beholden to myself.

What has surprised you most about being a published author?

That I'm still just me! I honestly forget that I'm a published author sometimes. It's a dream come true and I love it and I'm proud, but on a day to day basis, I'm just Liz. I don't feel any different--which I see as proof that a writer is a writer, published or not.

It also surprises me how often people who aren't in the YA book world ask why I write for teenagers, as opposed to adults.

If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were beginning writer, what advice would you offer?

Read a lot across genres. Read constantly! Keep a notebook for ideas that hit you add odd times. I still need to start on the notebook one.

What do you do when you're not in the book world?

I used to work at a Montessori school. For the past year, I've been freelancing for magazines (mostly Seattle magazine) and a web site called Red Tricycle. I also worked on writing with seventh graders this year through Seattle Arts and Lectures' Writers in the Schools program. Now, I have a full-time job as a product copywriter, writing about shoes all day. I still write and edit for Red Tricycle. I watch a lot of reality TV, ride my Vespa, go out to brunch, read, and hang out in coffee shops. Sometimes, I knit.

What can your fans look forward to next?

I'm working on a companion to Opposite. Then I hope to get back to work on the manuscript that I started during our semester together, Cyn. It's the story of a girl who's dealing with the tragic death of her best friend, an artist who pushed everything to the edge until he fell off.

Cynsational Notes

Visit Liz Gallagher's official site, read her LJ, and visit Liz at MySpace!

Quick progress report...

MF Pages Revised:

159 / 244 (65.2%)

I'm trying to buckle down and finish this ASAP. I keep getting hung up in places that need lots of work, but then it is so magical blowing through pages and pages that don't need a thing and make me smile. Yay. But seriously, bed at 1:30AM and rise at 6:00AM, not cool. I've got to finish this if only so i don't fall asleep on the road...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........................

Back to silence...

http://author2author.blogspot.com/2008/07/first-lines.html

Tip of the Day: When writing at the café, order your drinks sans whip cream. It’s like 200-250 calories and only lasts two seconds anyway.

I’ve subscribed to Writer’s Digest FOREVER. Like, way before I started getting the bulk of my writing related news and tips on the Internet. So, I think that would be college, maybe high school. And yes—the Internet was around back then (I’m not THAT old), I just didn’t use it very often.

Lately I find myself disagreeing more and more with various articles in it though. So much that I’m thinking about not renewing my subscription this next year (GASP).

For example, in this last issue there was an article about how important first lines are. And I agree—the beginning of a book is so important. You’ve got to grab your reader and make them want to read your book. But this particular writer was saying (well, ok. I think he said his teacher taught him this but he was backing him up) that the FIRST LINE had to tell the reader everything they need to know—specifically who the main character is, where they are, and what’s going on.

To me, this is BORING. I don’t want to follow some formula for my first line. Yeah, up front the reader should be able to figure out where we are going and our main character etc. but all in the very first line? Nah. Let’s look at a couple of my first lines:

From REVENGE QUEEN: "Is your ex-best friend passing around pictures of you drunk and topless?"

From NIGHT AT CLAIRE'S: “Oh dear lord…” I whisper under my breath.

Ok, you obviously won’t get the whole story from those first lines. And I don’t want you to. You will shortly figure out where I’m headed though if you read on.

Let me try another one. With THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, my main character, Jane, keeps a notebook where she’s basically defining people based on their favorite coffee drinks and she calls this “Espressology”. I open the book with her making an entry into the notebook.

Large, nonfat, four-shot café latte

Cocky, sex deprived, butthead guy drink. Expect only the upmost stupidity to come out of his mouth. So-so body, could stand to work out more. Crappy dresser…

You don’t know where I’m going from the first line of the book but you soon figure out what’s going on. If I were to use the formula suggested in the WD article I’d have a line like this instead,

“Jane Turner, a high school student and coffee barista, is at work making notes in her notebook about a customer who just came in.”

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ok, It’s not THAT bad but I like my opening better.

What about you guys? Do you follow this type of first line advice? What are some of your first lines?

Kristina, Miss Soon-to-Pub

...to Conestoga.

But first... I must tell you this. My youngest daughter, a toddler, was kind of sick last night. She eventually emptied her stomach but then felt much better. Ended up playing the rest of the night, must have been something she ate. Anyway, after she threw up, she was sitting on my lap and said in that groggy, little voice, "Daddy... I remember ten years ago when go sick like that."

Ten Years...? Where's the time go? Seriously...

Anyway, I'm packed. I'm ready. I'm nervous.

Maybe, just maybe I'll have some stories and pictures to share when I get back. I won't have my computer so, unless I can borrow someone's at the hotel, no posting until Monday or Tuesday.

Two more hours here at work and I'm gone. 

I had such a fantastic time in NYC this past weekend that I wanted to recap here for posterity.

Friday, July 18
I arrived around 2 PM and after dropping my stuff off at her new apartment in the city, my cousin T took me to eat Korean food in K-town (mmm, bulgogi and kimchi) and we had Korean-style shaved ice (patbingsu) at Koryodang, which was like a fancier version of the Taiwanese shaved iced (tsua bing) I'm used to, with lots of ice cream, red beans, various fruits, and mochi - very interesting. After our late lunch, I took a nap and woke up just in time to rush over to the Longacre Theatre to see the Tony Award-winning play Boeing-Boeing, starring Bradley Whitford, Christine Baranski, Gina Gershon, Mary McCormack, Kathryn Hahn, and Mark Rylance. ( It was better than I thought it would be. ) If you have a chance to see this before it closes, I'd recommend it. You can get terrific seats in the balcony for about $37. After the show, T took me down to St. Mark's Place to have late-night yakitori - yum!

Saturday, July 19
We slept in and had a late lunch at the famous Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (Shackburger, fries, and a root beer float - it was worth the 20+ minute wait, really). After lunch, we strolled around Union Square, met up with my other cousin B and his wife K, and walked down to St. Mark's Place. We had yakitori again at Oh! Taisho, picked up dessert for later from DessertTruck (chocolate bread pudding with a vanilla creme anglaise - holla!), and went hunting for boba milk tea. By 7:30 PM we were crazy full and made our way to the movie theatre to see Hellboy II and Wanted. Neither movie alone was worth the $12 per ticket, but since we saw both movies on one ticket (shh, so bad - I haven't snuck into a movie since high school) it was worth it. ( More stuff about the movies. )

Sunday, July 20
Again we slept in because we're lazy pigs. We woke up just in time to rush over to the Lyceum Theatre where we had tickets to see [title of show]. My cousin T was not impressed, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was funny because at one point in the musical, there's a song about how you shouldn't let people destroy your creative process by telling you that your musical isn't proper because it has too much foul language or inappropriate nudity or whatever, and after the show T turned to me and said that she didn't really like [tos] because they said "fuck" a lot (I thought it was hilarious) and because the two actors and one of the actresses took off their shirts during the show for comedic effect. I just had to roll my eyes at her :P Anyway, I definitely want to go back and see it again if I can. You can get fantastic seats for $48 from here (we were fifth row orchestra, dead center). After the show we had dinner at Junior's (nothing to write home about :P, though the strawberry shortcake cheesecake lived up to my memories and was still amazing) and then headed over to the Palace Theatre to see Legally Blonde: The Musical. I recapped my fantastic night at LB here. We hung around the stagedoor for a little while after LBB and everyone left, but when it became evident that everyone was gone for the night, we headed over to K-town, had some patbingsu, and then went home.

Monday morning I headed back to DC. I wasn't ready to leave, but I'd already booked my bus ticket. If only I could live in NYC, go to Broadway shows, and eat great food for a living. That would be the life.

This is a fabulous community! And I simply had to join to finally share with people who understand why I love fictional men.

1) Remus Lupin (Harry Potter): he's such a tragic figure, and so very broken... His sensitivity and intelligence is most attractive; and how can you not want to comfort him what with his 'furry little problem' and all?

2) Edward Cullen (Twilight): His overprotective nature is a obnoxious, but I will fall for any man (or whatever) who spends some serious time at a piano.

3) Erik (The Phantom of the Opera): I fell particularly hard for Susan Kay's version, particularly the years he spend in Rome and Persia. Again, wounded, an outcast, a musician... disfigurement or not, really, what's not to love??

4) Marius (Les Mis, the novel): He's a dreamer and is forever searching for something more. He's also daft and oblivious to a lot of things, but that revolutionary spirit hooked me when I was a teenager.

5) Fieyero (Wicked, the novel): HOT! And he has blue diamonds on his body. Arrogant, perhaps, but he has a softer side.

6) Fergus (Outlander): I'll jump on board with this one! He grows up to be a gentleman, is totally loyal, street smart and French, making him that much hotter. :)

The car service is picking me up in five and a half hours and I'm finally going to bed. Holy lord. I'll probably have some internet access, so I'll check in with anything juicy. Otherwise I'll see you on the flip side!

For those of you who happened to Google your title and ended up here, please know that one star is not a bad thing in Robin's world -- just the fact the I picked up your book and started it means that somewhere it's getting good buzz (or that your blurb was really cool). 'R' means it's a re-read.

* I didn't make it beyond the first 20 pages.
** I made it to the end, but I either skimmed or skipped large sections.
*** I might have skipped/skimmed, but I liked it and will read it again.
**** I read at least 95% of the book and it was good.
***** I read every word, and I loved it!

The V Club, by Kate Brian **** This was a fun book, and I really liked how KB handled the multiple POVs. I never got confused between the four MCs, and I felt like she explored their complexity nicely.

Head Case, by Sarah Aronson *** Well written, to be sure, but definitely not an upbeat book. Certainly made me think about things, however.

Gem X, by Nicky Singer ** This was okay. I couldn't get through it all, and after the first chapter or so, I definitely just skimmed the rest. Interesting ideas, but a little dense in its prose (just my opinion, of course).

stay with me, by Garret Freymann-Weyr ** I was liking this okay until the MC falls in love with someone that I, personally, don't find even remotely realistic. I skimmed to the end after that.

The Girlfriend Project, by Robin Friedman ** Just meh, for me.

Tim, Defender of the Earth, by Sam Enthoven *** Definitely a unique take on a thriller -- I liked it, though. It was quirky.

Luna, by Julie Ann Peters ** This oozed raw pain -- so I'd say it's well-written, but I just couldn't get through it.

Sisters in Sanity, by Gayle Forman ***- I enjoyed the romance and the complexity in this one. Interesting concept and ideas (and, I guess, based loosely on fact).

Set in Stone, by Linda Newbery ** I read the last third of this pretty closely and found that, for me, that's all I needed to get the story. It's an interesting style, though -- similar, imo, to Victoria Holt.

Mermaid Park, by Beth Mayall *** More interesting ideas, but I couldn't quite get a handle on the MC...she was slippery, in many ways, and I couldn't really tell how much she actually learned/grew by the end.

Muppet break: Beaker does Ode to Joy

(Subject line does not relate to anything. I just felt like saying it.)

ETA: OMG. There's more new Muppet internet stuff on youtube! Stuff like this! (I'm just following related links.) And...Muppets have their own different accounts, pretty much all created this month. :D Is this some Henson production thing?

Whatever it is, it's fun!

ETA2: BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

ETA3: They're killing me. They really are.

Yeah, if you haven't read this yet...you totally should. It's made of awesome. Review to come.



In other news...have you seen

thunderchikin's good news? Go squawk with him! 

 

I'm a newbie. But who cares?

My loves are simple.

Miles "Pudge" Halter (Looking For Alaska)- Awkward. Introverted. Unintentionally adorable. Quirky. Hullo, sexy alert?

Regulus Black (Harry Potter)- Yes. I am a Harry Potter nerd. And Regulus is my heroin dammit. Forget Edward. Regulus is the brother of a considerably more handsome, smart, and popular Sirius. He's the unsung hero, never known even by his sibling that he took one important step in the right direction. *sigh* He's just so underrated. And it makes me swoon.

Theodore Nott (Harry Potter)- Described as more clever than Malfoy, independent, and rabbity-looking. Basically, he's the loser of Slytherin. I love it.

Tyler Durden (both versions)(Fight Club)- Delusional, maniacal, psychotic... Classic love story between a man and himself.

Artemis Fowl- Um, super evil genius with a deeply embedded love for his family but a strange tendency to destroy things. What a cutie-pie.

Connor (Unwind)- Basically a jerk. Gets into fights, failing school... But he has balls and an inner vat of pure self preservation to get him through it all.