My Precious

Can you identify the characters?

LEGO Lord of the Rings coming August 2012 . . .
*plays epic soundtrack*

Who doesn't love the Lord of the Rings? Okay, don't answer. Tolkien has inspired so many writers, and I believe the movie trilogy is one of those rare adaptions that are worthy of their book counterparts. It is about time the inhabitants of Middle-earth are brought into LEGO form!

Writing tip: When referring to the toy pieces, call them LEGO bricks, not Legos.

The One

I completely rewrote my first chapter and was excited that I have finally written something shorter and more interesting, only to have someone prefer the older version. *facepalm* Oh Chapter One, you are a tricky, tricky one. . . .

Tea Time

Enjoying a cup of tea in England

Just sent out another query (that requires the full manuscript along with the letter). I think it's time for me to take a vacation from the querying process and wait. I mean, for the past month I've been sending queries and obsessively checking my email every minute. No more of that, for now. I'm going to sit here and enjoy my cup of tea (while burying my head in a textbook for an upcoming exam).

Sorting Out My Thoughts

Today was unproductive. I spent over half of the day with a headache, worsened by eating Chinese takeout (hopefully there wasn't any MSG). Perhaps tomorrow I'll go for fresh salad or Greek. . . .

While struggling with my headache, I've been thinking about what to post today, and I realized why I am having difficulty--I haven't sorted out my blog's topics, besides writing. My novel = mythology + science/nature + ancient history. Wow, coming up with that list was easier than I thought! Yep, expect upcoming posts about them.

Here is a picture I think encompasses all three topics. I will open it for interpretations ;)

Getty Villa, California

New Year's Resolution

Disney's Grand Californian Hotel
(couldn't afford a real stay, so snuck in and snapped a photo)

Okay, 13 days late to post my New Year's resolution . . . but here it is: to get published.

Easier said than done, I know.

Since I started working on the manuscript over three years ago, I would get sentimental every time the holidays hit, when I would walk through Downtown Disney in Anaheim and look at the decorations and neat merchandise. Ah, maybe I can purchase all of these when my book becomes successful! Joking. I would just wonder how different the holidays be if I finally become a published author. A wonderful gift indeed. Apparently Christmas has recently passed, and Santa did not bring me my gift (I'm naughty, I know). Oh well. I look forward to a different season. Perhaps the Easter bunny would be kinder.

And I swear I will do something crazy when my book gets published.

Breathing

Sussex, England
(literally behind the back of my dorm, and I didn't know until the last few days of school)

If I were a character, I would be living in a palace. I am clothed. Food is readily available. The guards protect me. And I am utterly tired of my life.

Everyday I would stand at the balcony and stare fondly at the mountains in the distance. I envy the wind that brushes my hair, for it is free to roam the world. Even the farmer has the expansive wheat field to run through, and the hunter has the uncharted forest to explore. But me? I have a palace for a prison.

But I am not a character, and my palace is a little townhouse that lies near the border of two contiguous cities in Southern California. However, I still stare at the distance, past the streets and blockish buildings, and dream of being free one day. . . . I don't know how other writers feel, but that is my sentiment when I look at other people, satisfied with their lives, and then at myself, sitting at my desk and typing away.

That is why I am here, writing the first post to my blog, when I am supposed to be studying for a career that is five years away from my reach, and in thirty minutes I have to dash away to my job so I can make a living. I await that day when the stories that have been imprisoned in my mind are flung to the world. This is why I write—to breathe.

To the writers out there, especially those who are seeking to one day find an agent and get published, how would you describe your feelings?