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andave's place

Of cabbages and kings

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by
andave_ya
, 04-20-2008 at 01:02 AM (1600 Views)
We've got some cool new bloggers on the LitNet. Go read Antiquarian's blog; she's got a whole lot more to say than I do .

Well, I wanted to share -- I have over 50 reviews for my fanfiction story! And I still have 3 chapters more to post!
Honestly, I don't believe it. I doubted that I would break 50 reviews in 24 chapters, but last night I got an influx of reviews for my first chapter, and everyone liked it. In fact I've got two people saying that my writing is like Tolkien's. I appreciate the compliment but kind of doubt it.

However, it makes me excited about my next LOTR fanfiction story, which is giving me a considerable amount of trouble (not writer's block, Antiquarian! ) because it opens on a wedding day and I have to give some background to the romance. When I was planning, I figured that I've read enough sensible romantic books and seen enough sensible romantic movies to write a sensibly romantic back ground. Key word sensible. I abhor melodramatic romances. But when I actually started writing I realized that I know nothing about it -- I haven't been in love yet. So I asked Shurtugal to look it over and see if she had any suggestions for what I had written so far. She said "Yes it's good but shouldn't this dude be feeling pain? He is wounded."
Ouch. She's right, and that's another thing I know nothing of. Pain.
Of course, these obstacles can be overcome but it definitely makes it harder. Bring in the research books . In ten years, perhaps, I'll be able to write from experience.

At least I can say that in ten years I won't have to worry about SAT's anymore. Some of you will be happy to know that the end of my complaining about SAT's is in sight. I take my SAT May 3 and leave for Lebanon June 1. I don't know if I want the results before we go or after we come back; if they're not good enough I'll have to do them again. Chances are, I'll have to do them again in October, after summer ends.

So it's pretty much settled; we're going to Lebanon. We got our passports and tickets and have begun buying luggage and clothes and gifts to heft along. I've got so many whirling emotions in my head! On the one hand, I am horrendously out of it regarding fashion, which is a sacrilege for girls. I want to become either an English professor or a librarian, both of which are professions having to do with books and therefore are totally without lucrative value and hence any merit at all. I'm not stick thin and everyone there remembers me as a precocious three-year-old with a penchant for gabbiness and gregariousness, not as a stolid teenager with her nose in a book.
On the other hand, I'm going to Lebanon! My uncle is getting married there. It's the home of my ancestors, tons of history that goes back more than two hundred years (there are ruins dating back to before Christ!) Majida el Roumi and Fairouz, elegance, cultural identity, Lebanese cedars, beauty, AND it has my parent's love as their homeland, although they are staunch Americans. My dad will be crushed if anything keeps us from going, and it is a possibility, with rumors of wars reaching our ears in hushed tones through phones and friends. I hope for his sake that nothing happens that keeps us from going. Hmmm.

Oh, want to hear something awful? We're going to England and all we have time for is terminal hopping. I'm fit to burst.
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  1. sprinks's Avatar
    I hope you have a great time in Lebanon and that nothing stops you from going in the first place! And good luck with your writing!
  2. Virgil's Avatar
    Yes, you never again have to think about SATs but then you will probably have four or five classes per semester at college, each with their own tests and term papers. Enjoy.
  3. BulletproofDork's Avatar
    He's wounded on his wedding day? Ouch.
  4. sprinks's Avatar
    Oh andave_ya, I had a thought the other day... You talked about how it is hard to write things when you have no experience of that situation yourself, and there was a thing we learnt in drama - emotion memory. Perhaps you have already learnt about it, I'm not sure, but incase you haven't, I'll briefly talk about it. It's where you use emotions from similar situations to figure out how that character would be feeling, because no one has ever been in every situation to know what it would feel like. It really helped me in drama, I actually managed to make myself cry whilst in a performance playing a character I had nothing in common with! So if this character of yours is actually physically wounded, I'm sure there would be at least one incident you would have had involving pain. And if it was emotional pain, the chances aren't quite as likely that you've been hurt like that, but perhaps there was a situation where you felt let down by someone, or something like that. And although you haven't experienced the type of love your character does, you still would have felt love of sorts towards other people and things, or at least some depth of affection... I hope this helps in some way
  5. andave_ya's Avatar
    Antiquarian Thank you! England... Did I say I'm a bit of an anglophile? sprinks Thanks, both for the good wishes and advice! In my story, I've been trying to capitalize on the emotions I do know in lieu of what I don't. That emotion memory thing helps a LOT!! I definitely have a better idea of what to do now. I've been debating putting that story on here--not sure if anyone would be interested though. Virg spoilsport! Yes but not as much depends on individual class tests and papers. Besides, those only test one subject. So there . Bullet No he's not, he's wounded a year before his wedding day. The first chapter's the Prologue.