Writing Progress

Pen Death Toll: 23

Pen Death Toll (2009): 14


Projects

NaNoWriMo 2007 - The Devil's Day
On hiatus for more world-building and development, though the idea's still pushing through. I adore this story and don't want to abandon it. It's been in my head for four years and still hasn't died. Will put passages in my CW portfolio.

NaNoWriMo 2008 - Absolute Zero
The first draft is done, but I only like the concept. I think I might adapt the idea or characters into a different story. It might be novella or short story material.

NaNoWriMo 2009 - The Autumn Wolf
Two families are tied together, but Allevera, the autumn she-wolf, seeks to break those bonds.

DecNoWriMo 2008
It's onto the small edits now! Woot!

Short Story Collection (the survivable ones, at least)
How to Play God
I really want to revise this. I'm going to polish a passage for my CW portfolio and then re-do the whole plot.
Karen MacGyver
No title for this one yet, but the protagonist has been talking to me and I want to know more. She's an eccentric young florist and epitomizes art in all its forms. I know little about this story thus far, but I'm eager to find out.
I Am The Seasons
What do we all run for? A young stag seeks to find out.


School Stuff

School Newspaper - 2nd Print Issue & Online Features
Deadline: Weekly deadlines for online articles, and a big deadline in late November-early December for the next print issue.
---

After a month of waiting and novel-writing, I had a horrible day. I come home and find a large envelope on my desk. I see it's from one of my colleges, and I assume it's one of those booklets that they send me all the time. Then, I see the stamp in the corner: FIRST CLASS.

After that horrible day, I found out that I GOT IN!!! I got into my top college, and was selected for its Creative Writing program. Looks like my portfolio went well over there, and I'm happy as ever. Happy early Christmas to me, and I'm glad to have some hard work out of the way for now. Hopefully I'll have time enough to write more and exercise my camera.

Edit: Sorry for having journals in your inbox for two days in a row, but quite a few of my watchers know this person well.

I received a text message from my friend in PSU yesterday, saying that she and other students were locked in their dorms because there was a gunman on campus.

Needless to say I was horrified--I wasn't there, of course, but she said that policemen were out checking buildings and the outside. It was on the news this morning as well. They locked down the school and the hospital nearby for four-five hours (starting around 5:30PM?), and only until 12:19 AM did I get word that the "gunman" was finally identified. So I'm a little exhausted at this point.

The gun wasn't a gun, and the gunman was a martial artist with some sort of tool--I don't know what. But for any of you that got word the same time I did, Amy's fine. Holy crap, that was a rough night.


Writing Progress

Pen Death Toll: 22

Pen Death Toll (2009): 13


Projects

NaNoWriMo 2007 - The Devil's Day
On hiatus for more world-building and development, though the idea's still pushing through. I adore this story and don't want to abandon it. It's been in my head for four years and still hasn't died. Will put passages in my CW portfolio.

NaNoWriMo 2008 - Absolute Zero
The first draft is done, but I only like the concept. I think I might adapt the idea or characters into a different story. It might be novella or short story material.

NaNoWriMo 2009 - The Autumn Wolf
Two families are tied together, but Allevera, the autumn she-wolf, seeks to break those bonds.

DecNoWriMo 2008
It's onto the small edits now! Woot!

Short Story Collection (the survivable ones, at least)
How to Play God
I really want to revise this. I'm going to polish a passage for my CW portfolio and then re-do the whole plot.
Karen MacGyver
No title for this one yet, but the protagonist has been talking to me and I want to know more. She's an eccentric young florist and epitomizes art in all its forms. I know little about this story thus far, but I'm eager to find out.
I Am The Seasons
What do we all run for? A young stag seeks to find out.


School Stuff

School Newspaper - 2nd Print Issue & Online Features
Deadline: Weekly deadlines for online articles, and a big deadline in late November-early December for the next print issue.
---

I can legally drive an ice cream truck now. Screw scratch tickets and questionable entertainment (although...), I like the ice cream truck. Yes, folks, I'm no longer a minor as of today. Woohoo!

In other news, I got a new kit and will be getting a third lens in the near future. Canon 450D with the kit lens and a telephoto--the kit lens isn't spectacular, of course, but it more than suffices for now. I just wish I could actually USE the beast, but instead I'm swamped with college applications. Luckily, I (for once) have no immediate homework deadlines today. Happy birrrthday to me!

I want to accumulate a few pictures with the new kit and I'll submit them all at once, just to start off with some consistency. Bear with me as the final push for college applications nears.

Wish me luck, as I couldn't wish for anything more to be a Creative Writing major at my top college. My portfolio is the deciding factor, and it's coming together!

Again, bear with my absence. I promise I'm not dead.

Writing Progress

Pen Death Toll: 20

Pen Death Toll (2009): 11


Projects

NaNoWriMo 2007 - The Devil's Day
On hiatus for more world-building and development, though the idea's still pushing through. I adore this story and don't want to abandon it. It's been in my head for four years and still hasn't died. Will put passages in my CW portfolio.

NaNoWriMo 2008 - Absolute Zero
The first draft is done, but I only like the concept. I think I might adapt the idea or characters into a different story. It might be novella or short story material.

NaNoWriMo 2009 - The Red Wolf
Two families are tied together, but Allevera, the autumn she-wolf, seeks to break those bonds.

DecNoWriMo
It's onto the small edits now! Woot!

Short Story Collection (the survivable ones, at least)
How to Play God
I really want to revise this. I'm going to polish a passage for my CW portfolio and then re-do the whole plot.
Karen MacGyver
No title for this one yet, but the protagonist has been talking to me and I want to know more. She's an eccentric young florist and epitomizes art in all its forms. I know little about this story thus far, but I'm eager to find out.
I Am The Seasons
What do we all run for? A young stag seeks to find out.


School Stuff

College Essays
Deadline: Want to finish this essay and its application by November 1st. I'm drafting it right now, but I still have more to go.

College Portfolio
10-12 pages of work I've written for, well, anything. I'm positive I have enough even now, but I think I'll do some revision on the fiction I do in my free time. We'll see what they think of it.
Deadline: November 1st

School Newspaper - 2nd Print Issue & Online Features
Deadline: Weekly deadlines for online articles, and a big deadline in late November-early December for the next print issue.
---

So, school started on September 2nd. Senior year, eh? Sound like fun?


Oh, ye gods, I'm wiped out. The scheduling god crammed all my core classes into my first semester,and all my electives into the second one. That's gonna be good down the road, but for now, it's tough. I'll survive, but I may go a little crazy. Just a little.

Despite my hatred for Pre-Calc and my frustration in Chemistry, AP Lit and Bio are already my two salvations. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I'm having in those two classes. My teacher makes reading medical journals like a break with F. Scott Fitzgerald. We were talking about math paradoxes and I was practically giddy!

...and then I went to Pre-Calc and remembered how much I hate math.

So now that school's started, how goes it for all of you? How have your classes/work days been? Should you be finishing your homework like me?

Writing Progress

Pen Death Toll: 18

Pen Death Toll (2009): 9


Projects

NaNoWriMo 2007 - The Devil's Day
On hiatus for more world-building and development, though the idea's still pushing through. I adore this story and don't want to abandon it. It's been in my head for four years and still hasn't died.

NaNoWriMo 2008 - Absolute Zero
The first draft is done, but I only like the concept. I think I might adapt the idea or characters into a different story. It might be novella or short story material.

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Shuffling ideas
I've got an idea in mind, but I'm going to be concerned about this until September or so.

DecNoWriMo
It's onto the small edits now! Woot!

Short Story Collection
I've got about three that look "survivable", and I want to start revision as soon as DecNoWriMo is finished.


School Stuff

College Essays
Deadline: Want to finish this essay and its application by November 1st. I'm drafting it right now, but I still have more to go.

College Portfolio
10-12 pages of work I've written for, well, anything. I'm positive I have enough even now, but I think I'll do some revision on the fiction I do in my free time. We'll see what they think of it.
Deadline: November 1st

School Newspaper - Opening Issue
I'm not sure how many pages A&E will get this time, but our print issues'll be big this year and that means lots of articles. We're getting new writers during the year, but this issue will be done the week before school starts.
Deadline: Last week of August

---

Goddamnit, Wal-Mart! -shakes fist-

I just heard on the news that Wal-Mart was coming out with imitation GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. I'm fuming. Because I am a Girl Scout and I know how hard we work to EARN money with those things.

A girl scout troop earns about 62 cents (give or take some--I was told the exact number long ago) for a box of cookies. $3.50 in some states and $4.00 in others. The other parts of that dollar go to funding in many other areas of the organization.


My troop raised money through cookies, general bake sales, crafts, and other "money-earners" to pay troop expenses. Among these:

-Events (camps, events with the younger troops, badge visits...pretty much anything where we show up.)
-Award expenses (for our bronze awards the cost wasn't great, but we had to rent out the YMCA for our silver awards. And the golds aren't cheap. Depending on the project, you may need to fund things like publishing, building expenses, whatever you need to complete the program you design.)
-Travel. Oh, travel. We had our big trip this year--a week in Pennsylvania--and we earned money for YEARS. I hate to blame the economy for our troubles, but cookie sales have bottomed out since people have lost extra spending money. That means trouble for us, too. We made it through with money to spare for out gold awards, but that was a product of many, many money earners.

I'm sure the imitations aren't good, but it made me pissed. Venting over. Thank you for listening. And to my "sisters", I love you all and you know the work we went through for our money. Catch you on the 21st! -blows kisses-

Writing Progress

Pen Death Toll: 18

Pen Death Toll (2009): 9


Projects

NaNoWriMo 2007 - The Devil's Day
On hiatus for more world-building and development, though the idea's still pushing through. I adore this story and don't want to abandon it. It's been in my head for four years and still hasn't died.

NaNoWriMo 2008 - Absolute Zero
The first draft is done, but I only like the concept. I think I might adapt the idea or characters into a different story. It might be novella or short story material.

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Shuffling ideas
I've got an idea in mind, but I'm going to be concerned about this until September or so.

DecNoWriMo
It's onto the small edits now! Woot!

Short Story Collection
I've got about three that look "survivable", and I want to start revision as soon as DecNoWriMo is finished.


School Stuff

College Essays
Once I sort out what colleges I'm applying to and look at their applications, I'll start drafting.
Deadline: Drafting first essay about the marriage between science--the defined--and forces we can't define. It's essentially what I've learned from a radical shift in my own life.

College Portfolio
10-12 pages of work I've written for, well, anything. I'm positive I have enough even now, but I think I'll do some revision on the fiction I do in my free time. We'll see what they think of it.
Deadline: TBA

School Newspaper - Opening Issue
I'm not sure how many pages A&E will get this time, but our print issues'll be big this year and that means lots of articles. We're getting new writers during the year, but this issue will be done the week before school starts.
Deadline: TBA

---

Okay, so it's late and I like getting up early, but I just can't hold this in any longer!

This week has been a little stressful--I have a lot of college stuff to prepare for and I've been in a little rut. I've been sorting out some big stuff in my life and it's overwhelming at times.

Not to mention I've been a walking mosquito buffet; the wet months are sure catching up on my dog-walking!

But I just received an e-mail back from somebody at the local Audubon Society (one of the wildlife/nature centers around the state). One of the biologists, the critter staff, is ready to bring me in! I've been waiting for MONTHS now and I'm so happy to be a part of all this. I'll probably drop her a line tomorrow unless she does so first.

I'll probably update this later, but that's my burst of excitement for tonight.