Two tiny things

I have two tiny things for you today. One is a book review, and the other is a poem.

Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I devour fiction. The one that I happened across this week was a young adult novel, "Notes From the Blender", by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin. A quick, fluffy read about a metalhead teenaged boy and a preppy, popular girl who find out they're going to be step-siblings. It was amusing, and the male narrative in particular made me laugh out loud several times. The plot was neatly packaged, and there wasn't anything standout or twisty about it, but it was a good read nonetheless.

Because I've been reading and thinking about poetry lately, and I am an unabashed sap, I wanted to share my favorite love poem, Your Laughter by Pablo Neruda:

Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.

My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.

Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.


The last stanza makes me want to stand on the top of a car and attempt to woo someone by reciting it. Do you have a favorite love poem? What is it?

What's that you spy here? A NEW BLOG?

Because I need more projects (riiiiiiiiight) I've created a new blog. I always feel guilty dumping fictional crap into blogs or journals that are supposed to reflect less crazy ventures. But my creative ventures cycle through three different fiction projects and poetry, so I've decided to dedicate this blog to personal stuff and poetry (which are the same thing).

I realize no one wants to follow THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS by the same person. But I still hope you'll follow at least one.

The Eve of November is the project I was working on for NaNoWriMo 2011. I have every intention on returning to it, even if it's stuck in mud right now.

The other writing blog is The Menael Chronicles, in which I'll ramble about the fantasy novel I've been trying to write for eleven (ELEVEN!) years. It'll include research, the high and woes of culture building, lots of geeking out, and maybe even some narrative.

Both the writing blogs are invite only. I have a pathological need to keep my fiction secret and safe. (I realize it's impossible to get published if I never show anybody anything. I'm working on it.)

Say hello to my obsession with character development

It turns out that the only thing I can think to blog about is writing. I have no idea if it's interesting to read about, but it's fun. It's my blog and I'll ramble if I want to, right? Right.

If no one's caught on yet, I am a major geek for my fictional characters. Creating, developing, and then messing with them is my favorite part of writing. But a warning, here. If you don't want to know just how much of an obsessive freak I am, go back now.

NaNo total

NaNoWriMo 2011

Eve of November: Three character introductions, unexpected and fun dialogue, a suddenly stagnant protagonist, and a six-inches-of-mud-stuck plot. 4,644

Hit Me Like You Mean It:  Two unplotted fist fights, sexual tension between the wrong characters, pre-written dialogue taking on very different meanings, new character smell, research into motorcycles and some shady subjects, and finally drafting 90% of the beginning. 20,799

Total: 25,443

A few thousand short of my revised goal of 30k, but still an absolute success. Back on the writing track, ladies and gentlemen, thank god.

Next up: redrafting the opening, rewriting the first portion of the second part (the first thing I wrote, back in March 2010), then re-reading and fixing mad continuity errors. Oh yeah, and working in the character who has sudden prominence in a protagonist's life. After that, hopefully writing the third and final part.

I WILL HAVE A NOVEL SO HELP ME GOD. Even if I have no intent to publish it. 

The NaNo beast is hard to kill.

Here's a visual of 60k+ words from last year:

BTW, it's bragging time. Yes, I wrote all that. Yes, it's all one story, although not one plotline. I can has productivity!

Here's a visual of what I've written for NaNo stacked on top of 60k+ words:

That was my productivity deflating.

I've reached the conclusion that 30k words by the end of November would be pretty goddamned awesome. It's more than I've written in a year, probably.

One more NaNo picture delight:

She does this to me every time. I am powerless to stop her.

Also, my awesome girlfriend of awesomeness has been collaging stuff for our walls:

GUYS! I HAVE LINK ON MY WALLS. I'M ALMOST BADASS!

Also also, I love downloading pics from the camera and discovering adorable self-portraits of my adorable girlfriend of awesomeness.

That's all, really.