Short and Sweet

Like the title says, this post is not going to be long. Just something to keep up my goal for posting on a regular basis. Then I have to do homework, write, and do housework. What a weekend. It feels like it's almost over and it's only Saturday (though, I guess when you think about it, it is almost over.)

Here's something new: I'm attempting to write a short story to enter in a contest. I've never written one before, and I'm not sure I'm good at it, but what's to lose? Even if the story doesn't win, it's still good practice. The bad part is that one of the characters in the story has schizophrenia, so, naturally, I researched everything I could get minds on about the topic. Here's the bad part. Everything I read and watched and heard made me feel so bad that I ditched the story for awhile.

Is that normal? I think I got way too into it. Mental illness has always fascinated me, so maybe I just need to practice staying on track. Maybe writing notes about everything I watch and read so that there's a distance put between me and subject. Focusing on the details might make it easier.

Anyhoozle, I need to pick that story back up and finish it. My first murder mystery thriller in 6,000 words or less... I'll never be able to confine myself to that. Some people just don't have Short Story in them.

Ciao all!

Critique Partners, Stats and Other Ramblings

This is the summer of industriousness. I'm polishing up the first book in my Dystopia series, working, going to school to get my teaching degree, and trying out a critique partner. I really didn't think I'd like the latter, but the experience so far has proven to be quite useful and interesting. I've already made some changes to my manuscript for the better and got to read an interesting novel in the process. I've never really enjoyed someone else's unfinished work before now. My partner is very good at characterization, which is an area that I believe I could be stronger, so trading work back and forth has been insightful.

Good characterization, I believe, has a lot to do with emotions and depth and details, which as I've said before I'm not good at. I much prefer to focus on plot. A good novel is well-balanced between all the elements--characterization, plot, setting, themes, etc.--with maybe one aspect building up more than the others. Hopefully, one day I'll just write a character and get it right the first time, but I'm pretty sure this is an area I'll struggle with forever. Don't leave me, CP! I'll need you in the decades to come :)

Alright, stats time. I like this part. It lets me bitch about things that have absolutely nothing to do with writing, or marketing, or anything, really.

Current book: Straight-up Star Wars fan fiction (not a book, I know, but it's the closest thing to words on a page that I'm going to get right now)

*Side note: finished the Prequel Dune trilogy and I think I might like them better than the actual first book, Dune. Weird.

Current TV show: .......I don't know. It's like a barren wasteland out there right now. I'm recording The Messengers on DVR, but I'm not really into it. Those guys are the worst angels I've ever seen. They're constantly screwing up and making deals with the Devil. On one hand, I love Vera. On the other, I hate JD Pardo's facial hair.

Oh! Stitchers, ABC Family's new show. Thought I would hate it, but turns out I don't. Comes on after PLL. Guess I do have a show.

Current mood: productive and hungry

Now, I'm off to go find a Game of Thrones blog where I can bitch with everyone else about that crappy, crappy season finale. All the awesome directions I thought the story was going in are now dead in the water. As dead as Jon Snow. What the hell? Theon sucks, Sansa is useless, and Ser Davos is about as sharp as a spoon. Also, I could have died happy without ever seeing the Dothraki again.

Side note: I continue to love Jaime, and Cersei has redeemed herself in my eyes. Who else could make that naked walk of shame with their head held high, getting pelted with poo? No one. That's who. I'm also strangely not-hating Ramsey Bolton. He's as sadistic as Joffrey but way smarter. He spanked Stannis' ass in that battle. Didn't flay him alive as I was hoping for, but I'll take what I can get.

Go Brienne! Go Oathkeeper! Go Winter! See you next year!

Personable Musings

So, I have a little bit of time while waiting for my girlfriends to get off work so we can go out ... and I'm bored. My poor blog looks so empty. All the other pages are filling up (sort of), but the homepage is all lonely. The main point of this blog, besides organizing my writing and goals in that area, is to open up and practice becoming more personable around the web.

Honestly, I just want to write. That's it. But, I can't. Gotta get myself out there in the ethers of the Interweb.

So...

Maybe I'll treat this blog like a journal. I'm good at writing journals but terrible at diaries. I think of diaries as more emotional and personal, and I guess I'm not good at introspection.

Haha, I just realized something funny last week while driving to work. I was rethinking my Galaxy series and sort of trying to pinpoint the flaws, the lack of characterization and what not, and I suddenly realized that I basically wrote Twilight but with aliens instead of vampires. I started giggling in my car. Not that I'm giving up on that book, but I am definitely going to do some major re-writes. Having four aliens isn't necessary anyway. Two will work. Maybe three. :)

Maybe I'll start a project with that book and post it here online chapter by chapter. That way people can comment and tell me what sucks and what doesn't. That would be fun ... I think. Other people have told me they've done that and received some very good advice.

Alright, enough personable for now. Gotta put my face on. Bye!

Welcome

You've reached the blog of Piper Logan Allen. Aspiring author, avid reader, and sushi extraordinaire. Eating it, not making it.

Current book I am reading: Dune: House Harkonnen (The spice must flow)

Current show: Game of Thrones (duh. Also, Stannis needs to die by dragon fire. Who's with me?), Aquarius (gotta give love to my girl Clair Holt #RebekahForever), Pretty Little Liars (I give up watching every season they don't tell me who A is ... but then I come back. *sigh* maybe Season 6 won't make me want to stab my TV in frustration)

Current mood: blah with a slight infusion of industriousness

Current favorite couple: *hangs head with a sigh* Peanut butter and jelly (when there're no cupcakes, it'll do)

Talk amongst yourselves:
Do you suffer from the same A-related frustrations I do? Is Andrew really A? (Answer: Of course not. Haven't' they been watching the show at all?) Does Cersei Lannister now win Mother of the Year in comparison to Mrs. Stannis Baratheon? (For all you who don't know what I'm talking about, watch last week's episode of GOT) By the way ... anyone else find the icy Night King of the White Walkers more than a little hot? Something about the way he rose all that undead army... You just got served Jon Snow.

My rambling should probably come to an end now.

Comments are welcome, of course. Otherwise, I'm just talking to myself.