Save the life of a hero, who's given his all to save the world and seems ready to let go?
I know this has been done a few times, but the two that stand out most to me are in Justice League Unlimited, Episode 25 'Divided We Fall' and of course, Agent Coulson in Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Both times you have a hero who has just done something that either allows the heroes to save the world, like Agent Coulson did, or actually gone beyond himself to do it, as the Flash does.
This all came to my mind as I watched my favorite episode of Justice League Unlimited. Why? Because all too often The Flash is seen as a joke. And yet, he is both the potential catalyst for the Justice League to abandon their principles to become the Justice Lords AND the one who says 'NO!' and defeats a Lex Luthor/Braniac combo.
In doing so, he discovered the Speed Force. This is something only HE of the Flashes can actually reach. [Different story lines along the way, but I know that's how it works.] And when Hawkgirl talks to him... He sounds, happy. Wally has found his... Well, his center I'd say.
And yet, they don't let him leave them... THEY want him to stay, so they pull him out. He was freaking HAPPY! But no, they couldn't lose him and thus... He wasn't allowed to find peace in the speed force.
I'm sure Wally's happy being in the world again, but I also wonder just how happy he really was? He makes a comment that he can't ever go that fast again. You know why? Because he won't come back.
There's another episode not to long after where The Flash is receiving an award and invites all of his Justice League buddies to join him... You know what happens? A newer member thinks The Flash is a joke. He risked his life to save the freaking world, hell the GALAXY!! And they still see him as only a joke? Sure, Batman knows better... And is just being himself, which is why he acts as he does, but still. It drove me crazy to see how badly they thought of him, a founding member of the Justice League. Nevermind that only Batman and Orion manage to go.
Just as an aside, spending that day with him is great... You see that while most of the others barely know the people of their city, The Flash knows most of them by name and takes his city to heart. Found it sweet. He also knew his enemies. Never looked down on them as evil, never bitched... Nothing. Honestly, between those two episodes, I started see a whole new side of him and realized just how awesome he really was.
By this time, almost everyone knows that Coulson isn't dead. Or, is no longer dead. You may not know how it happened, and I'm not going to share it all. But I will tell you this. Coulson ACCEPTED his death. He was content and proud [I think] to know that his death would be just what the others needed save the day.
And could they give him that? No. Fury decided to play god and, through an excruciatingly painful experience, saw fit to bring him back. Nevermind that he didn't have consent. He knew better and decided that was all that mattered.
In both instances, someone else selfishly decided that because THEY didn't want this person to die.
My question is this... Was it right? Was it fair to the one who wasn't given a choice, but had accepted the end result?
Kristy C
Sunday, August 31
Saturday, August 30
Nothing Much...
To blog about today. I spent most of yesterday at a gaming session and had fun there.
While the GM and a few of the players were great, a little over 2 actually annoyed the hell outta me. Unhelpful and at times, almost unsure of why they were there.
Nearly died twice, but the GM saved me by being nice when a few of the battles were brutal. I guess you could say, he didn't let us die because the campaign was too hard, but if we'd been on par he might have let it go... And the character as well.
I won a book that's not legal in normal game play, but that's ok I'll find away to use it. ^^ And I won a Boon called 'Ancestral Ally'. Not one I can use, so I'm gonna see if I can trade it later on. I was also able to trade my Kickstarter Boon for a Sylph one, which I've wanted for a while now. :D
Now, I just have to figure out what character to create with her and play the silly thing. Also need to go through my 30+ characters and pick out which ones I want to work on building up.
All in all, today wasn't all that bad. Fad fun, played games, hung out with friends... Took a break from life, which I kinda needed.
Game again today, after having tried to get 2 writing sprints under my belt as well.
There was some semi shocking personal news, but I'm not prepared to face it all the way just yet. I'll post about it in the coming days.
Hope you have a good day!!
Kristy C
While the GM and a few of the players were great, a little over 2 actually annoyed the hell outta me. Unhelpful and at times, almost unsure of why they were there.
Nearly died twice, but the GM saved me by being nice when a few of the battles were brutal. I guess you could say, he didn't let us die because the campaign was too hard, but if we'd been on par he might have let it go... And the character as well.
I won a book that's not legal in normal game play, but that's ok I'll find away to use it. ^^ And I won a Boon called 'Ancestral Ally'. Not one I can use, so I'm gonna see if I can trade it later on. I was also able to trade my Kickstarter Boon for a Sylph one, which I've wanted for a while now. :D
Now, I just have to figure out what character to create with her and play the silly thing. Also need to go through my 30+ characters and pick out which ones I want to work on building up.
All in all, today wasn't all that bad. Fad fun, played games, hung out with friends... Took a break from life, which I kinda needed.
Game again today, after having tried to get 2 writing sprints under my belt as well.
There was some semi shocking personal news, but I'm not prepared to face it all the way just yet. I'll post about it in the coming days.
Hope you have a good day!!
Kristy C
Friday, August 29
Who I am... Jewelry Designer
This is a story I've told a few times, but I like it. What is it? The history of how I became a jewelry designer.
October-ish of 2010 I was shopping with my mom at Fashion Bug [miss that place] and saw a necklace of silver chain with a fake skeleton key on it. It was all in silver, a color I'm not really supposed to wear. Has to do with my skin tone and hair color. [I'm a warm, they're cool.]
I told my mom that I could make my own necklace in a color I liked, with a real skeleton key, more me and for less money.
Turns out, I was mostly right. Every element but the less money thing, I was able to do. I actually made three necklaces. Doubt I've got photos any more, but I did sell each. Better yet, I fell in love with making jewelry. I'd tried sewing, knitting, paper crafts and a few other things, but none of them made me happy and became something I was willing to keep working at.
But this, making jewelry... This, I loved.
From October to March I played around, making odds and ends and mostly having fun. I saw it as a hobby, something else I could try and sell on etsy.
Then, I lost my job and things took some weird turns. I decided that perhaps this could be my job, and I set out to start. Got a few shows under my belt, built an idea and made no money at it. In truth, I was still playing.
In November of 2011, I took a leap of faith and made an appointment to meet a local store owner, seeing if she'd be interested in selling my pretties. Turns out, she was. On that day, she sold two pieces that had just been sitting out on the counter.
I slowly built up a stock, setting goals that weren't overly attainable, while trying to finish school and write. Still, I played at it.
Not sure when exactly it happened, but one day I started to wake up and realized part of my problem was that I wasn't actually trying to make a living at this, despite telling people that was my goal. Changes needed to happen.
At first, I put everything into an inventory sheet I made, working out prices and being as specific as possible. But it got boring after a while, and I started to just make prices up as I went.
October [things tend to happen to me in those months. Not sure why. Perhaps its a post I need to work on...] 20th, 2013 I'd been hanging with a very good friend all day, then went gaming. It was about 2am ish and we got back to my friends apartment building, where my car was.
It, and almost all of my jewelry, my display, everything... Was gone. Three years of work, ripped away. My car, the first car that was mine that I loved, missing.
Needless to day, I spent a few days fairly lost. It was as if part of me was just gone.
I put a call out to my community, which has hundreds of creatives in it, and 3 responded. They gave me supplies to start rebuilding. During that time, I made changes to everything but the jewelry.
October-ish of 2010 I was shopping with my mom at Fashion Bug [miss that place] and saw a necklace of silver chain with a fake skeleton key on it. It was all in silver, a color I'm not really supposed to wear. Has to do with my skin tone and hair color. [I'm a warm, they're cool.]
I told my mom that I could make my own necklace in a color I liked, with a real skeleton key, more me and for less money.
Turns out, I was mostly right. Every element but the less money thing, I was able to do. I actually made three necklaces. Doubt I've got photos any more, but I did sell each. Better yet, I fell in love with making jewelry. I'd tried sewing, knitting, paper crafts and a few other things, but none of them made me happy and became something I was willing to keep working at.
But this, making jewelry... This, I loved.
From October to March I played around, making odds and ends and mostly having fun. I saw it as a hobby, something else I could try and sell on etsy.
Then, I lost my job and things took some weird turns. I decided that perhaps this could be my job, and I set out to start. Got a few shows under my belt, built an idea and made no money at it. In truth, I was still playing.
In November of 2011, I took a leap of faith and made an appointment to meet a local store owner, seeing if she'd be interested in selling my pretties. Turns out, she was. On that day, she sold two pieces that had just been sitting out on the counter.
I slowly built up a stock, setting goals that weren't overly attainable, while trying to finish school and write. Still, I played at it.
Not sure when exactly it happened, but one day I started to wake up and realized part of my problem was that I wasn't actually trying to make a living at this, despite telling people that was my goal. Changes needed to happen.
At first, I put everything into an inventory sheet I made, working out prices and being as specific as possible. But it got boring after a while, and I started to just make prices up as I went.
October [things tend to happen to me in those months. Not sure why. Perhaps its a post I need to work on...] 20th, 2013 I'd been hanging with a very good friend all day, then went gaming. It was about 2am ish and we got back to my friends apartment building, where my car was.
It, and almost all of my jewelry, my display, everything... Was gone. Three years of work, ripped away. My car, the first car that was mine that I loved, missing.
Needless to day, I spent a few days fairly lost. It was as if part of me was just gone.
I put a call out to my community, which has hundreds of creatives in it, and 3 responded. They gave me supplies to start rebuilding. During that time, I made changes to everything but the jewelry.
- A new logo for my company.
 |
| First Logo |
.png) |
| Second Logo |
- I redesigned the cards my jewelry hangs from.
- A new display idea, one that puts fewer pieces out for the customer, not overwhelming them.
- My inventory became a requirement for me, not an option. Nothing was tagged, until it was in the inventory.
- I also relearned how to take product shots, picking up skills as I went.
- The only change in the jewelry, was that I now focused more on the simpler pieces, the ones that would sell. Before, I had over 50% of my stock at the weird, over the top, artistic designs. The kind people step in the door to see, but not the kind they buy. I've since lowered that to 25%. I like to make them, but the goal has changed. And I'm still me within all that.
 |
| Final Logo |
By the time I got my car back in December, I was on a new path for the business. 2014 was going to be my year.
Sadly, I never did get the jewelry back. Just the my baby, who'd been torn apart and cut up in a few places. Despite my sadness at losing the jewelry, I am glad my car's back home, safe and sound.
Now, we're in 2014 and I was going to freaking make it happen.
I put money toward shows, stocked up and rebuilt. By July, I had over 300 items in my inventory. They range in prices from $17 to $165. I started with an event locally, where I made a good profit. From there, I applied and was accepted to a show in Seattle. A small local show brought in a few orders in a bad time, welcome to me. September is filled with opportunities and I'm grasping at what I can, and planning for what comes next.
Guess you could say, I stopped playing around.
Its been a rough year, to say the least, but I've made sales and connections. Jewelry Design and Fashion have long been something I've loved. And I'm good at it. Its a place I want to be, even if its filled with flighty artists who sometimes lie to be heard... People who take offence at everything, and split groups into sectors. Its over populated with those who do it for fun and for business, making it hard to be seen.
But it hasn't stopped me. College, Jewelry Design and Writing have been the few things I've managed to keep working at, and not compromise on.
There is more to this story, but there's also more to come. I hope to share more with you as the months roll by. Photos of shows, updates on big events... Even a few cheat posts with nothing but pictures of some new pieces.
And I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me.
Kristy C
Thursday, August 28
Blurb of a Post
Blogger goofed and posted today's entry, yesterday.
Oh well, I'll make something up for you. ^^
I know!! I'll post something I've written here for you to enjoy.
Now, this as the CTC29 challenge from day 22.
And here is what I wrote. Its short and weird, but I like it. Follows in the footsteps of Raymond Chandler, who created the best Noir Detective ever... Philip Marlow.
It started like any other day. The odd ice was empty when I arrived, but business had been slow for weeks now.
Then she walked in my door. Long legs stretched up into a round body… A curse only a Humpty could pull off.
“I need your help.” She breathed, leaning on my desk.
“What’s wrong toots?”
“Its my husband. He… He had a great fall.”
Everyone had head about the fall. Dumpty was in pieces they said.
“Way I heard it, Kingsman and Horses was on the case.”
“Please. They can’t put him back together again.” She looked at me, and I saw a glint in her eyes. “No one can.”
I could see she was trouble.
“Then, what do you want?”
“He’s in pieces, but I need to know who caused the fall.”
A sharp laugh escaped my lips. “Lady, you know who. I ain't some quack you can use as a frame up guy.” Leaning close, I smiled. “You caused the fall babe and now you want to make sure your tracks are covered.”
She was fast on the draw, but I was quicker. “Turn yourself in toots.”
“I”ll share it all with you. Money, power… Love.”
“Sorry, not interested.”
Two shots rang out and she crumpled to the ground.
Life poured out of her like a spilled inkwell.
Picking up the phone, I called Detective Piper.
“Ms. Humpty just confessed to the fall of her husband… No, send the wagon… She’s in pieces.”
As I said, its not polished or anything, and it moves pretty fast. But for a short I wrote while getting my back pain zapped and frozen, then in a car.. I think its pretty good.
Kristy C
Oh well, I'll make something up for you. ^^
I know!! I'll post something I've written here for you to enjoy.
Now, this as the CTC29 challenge from day 22.
Day 22: Following In Their Words
Take the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and rewrite it, borrowing the voice and style of a famous writer. In case you're unfamiliar with the rhyme, here it is:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Note that you don't have to write this piece in rhyme or even as a poem. Focus on taking the story from the rhyme and crafting it in the style of the author you choose. To flex your muscles, do the exercise a second time using another author writer with a very different voice than the one you chose the first time.
And here is what I wrote. Its short and weird, but I like it. Follows in the footsteps of Raymond Chandler, who created the best Noir Detective ever... Philip Marlow.
It started like any other day. The odd ice was empty when I arrived, but business had been slow for weeks now.
Then she walked in my door. Long legs stretched up into a round body… A curse only a Humpty could pull off.
“I need your help.” She breathed, leaning on my desk.
“What’s wrong toots?”
“Its my husband. He… He had a great fall.”
Everyone had head about the fall. Dumpty was in pieces they said.
“Way I heard it, Kingsman and Horses was on the case.”
“Please. They can’t put him back together again.” She looked at me, and I saw a glint in her eyes. “No one can.”
I could see she was trouble.
“Then, what do you want?”
“He’s in pieces, but I need to know who caused the fall.”
A sharp laugh escaped my lips. “Lady, you know who. I ain't some quack you can use as a frame up guy.” Leaning close, I smiled. “You caused the fall babe and now you want to make sure your tracks are covered.”
She was fast on the draw, but I was quicker. “Turn yourself in toots.”
“I”ll share it all with you. Money, power… Love.”
“Sorry, not interested.”
Two shots rang out and she crumpled to the ground.
Life poured out of her like a spilled inkwell.
Picking up the phone, I called Detective Piper.
“Ms. Humpty just confessed to the fall of her husband… No, send the wagon… She’s in pieces.”
As I said, its not polished or anything, and it moves pretty fast. But for a short I wrote while getting my back pain zapped and frozen, then in a car.. I think its pretty good.
Kristy C
Wednesday, August 27
Logical Fallacies annoy me.
All too often I see people posting that 'All christians are...' or that 'I don't think people should have more than 3 kids...' or other such comments. Most of the time this is followed by someone who points out they're different, or that they have more and would have never had one or more. The original poster often replies back with 'Oh, I didn't mean you. I meant someone else, all the other bad ones.'
Problem is, you still said 'All' at the start of your post. All, means ALL. It doesn't mean most, or a fair amount or anything like that.
Purdeu's Online Writing Lab says this...
I see these posts more often than I like. Sometimes I agree with elements of what is being said, but can't get past that All word. It makes the argument invalid.
Just a little rant post.
Kristy C
Citing: Purdue Online Writing Lab
Problem is, you still said 'All' at the start of your post. All, means ALL. It doesn't mean most, or a fair amount or anything like that.
Purdeu's Online Writing Lab says this...
Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, and are often identified because they lack evidence that supports their claim. Avoid these common fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them in the arguments of others.When someone says 'All', the burden of proof requires you to show how 'All' actually are like that. If I said 'All redheads are short.' because the ones I know are short, there's no proof that all are in fact short.. Just that the ones I know are.
I see these posts more often than I like. Sometimes I agree with elements of what is being said, but can't get past that All word. It makes the argument invalid.
Just a little rant post.
Kristy C
Citing: Purdue Online Writing Lab
The down days
Yesterday morning I woke up from a bad dream, not ready to get out of bed.
In my dream, I was just trying to get someplace. We had 4 hours to do something, I didn't live far away.
But I left an hour late, then my car moved slow. It was like a Scion car, but you drove it with a kinda... I guess, stick. It was able to turn and maneuver pretty well, but the speed was barely over 15 MPH. In other words, I was barely moving.
I don't recall why I left the car, but for some reason I did. Next thing I knew...
I was walking through houses and stores to get to the place. I was almost half way there, with 2 hours left. I stopped to take a call from the people I was on my way to meet. One was sympathetic, but the others were upset that I, the only girl in the group, was the reason they were running late. So I got up and started out again. I was very close to them, I could feel it, but I'd lost my phone.
I had to go back and find it. I remember starting out, figuring I'd get the thing done, then go get it... But I needed the stupid thing and couldn't. So back through the doors I went, out onto a different street and nothing was the same. Worse, the stores were closing and I was running out of time.
Through one set of doors I went, hoping to get back. But this one was 'closed' and they yelled at me, threatened me... I called my phone from their phone, no one answered. As I went to hang it up, I dropped and thought I'd broken the phone, but all I'd done was broken an outer shell of the phone. Putting it back together, while being yelled at by the shop worker, I woke up.
Only now, I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to start the day. Everything felt wrong and only being in bed felt right. I was tired and just wanted to curl up and hide.
I finally had to get up to help dad with something, only to go back to bed. At about 10am I got up and ate breakfast, but I was cold, had trouble sitting still and focusing and just wanted to go back to bed.
After a while, I did just that. On the pretense of working out to help my back, I laid down and up with the blankets and curled up went me.
For over an hour, I slept on and off, fidgeting and moving all over the place. As I was thinking about getting up, my mind dreamed of just that several times. Each one was a mistake as something bad happened. Finally, I decided I'd rather risk getting up than keep trying to sleep, only to dream about it.
Nothing bad happened and so, I sat down to write. Without too much work, it reached 2:30 in the afternoon and I'd done next to nothing.
The rest of my day passed slowly, as my attack finally let go. But only after I'd spent most of the time either in bed or trying to calm myself down.
Hate days like that. They leave me feeling weak and powerless.
Kristy C
In my dream, I was just trying to get someplace. We had 4 hours to do something, I didn't live far away.
But I left an hour late, then my car moved slow. It was like a Scion car, but you drove it with a kinda... I guess, stick. It was able to turn and maneuver pretty well, but the speed was barely over 15 MPH. In other words, I was barely moving.
I don't recall why I left the car, but for some reason I did. Next thing I knew...
I was walking through houses and stores to get to the place. I was almost half way there, with 2 hours left. I stopped to take a call from the people I was on my way to meet. One was sympathetic, but the others were upset that I, the only girl in the group, was the reason they were running late. So I got up and started out again. I was very close to them, I could feel it, but I'd lost my phone.
I had to go back and find it. I remember starting out, figuring I'd get the thing done, then go get it... But I needed the stupid thing and couldn't. So back through the doors I went, out onto a different street and nothing was the same. Worse, the stores were closing and I was running out of time.
Through one set of doors I went, hoping to get back. But this one was 'closed' and they yelled at me, threatened me... I called my phone from their phone, no one answered. As I went to hang it up, I dropped and thought I'd broken the phone, but all I'd done was broken an outer shell of the phone. Putting it back together, while being yelled at by the shop worker, I woke up.
Only now, I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to start the day. Everything felt wrong and only being in bed felt right. I was tired and just wanted to curl up and hide.
I finally had to get up to help dad with something, only to go back to bed. At about 10am I got up and ate breakfast, but I was cold, had trouble sitting still and focusing and just wanted to go back to bed.
After a while, I did just that. On the pretense of working out to help my back, I laid down and up with the blankets and curled up went me.
For over an hour, I slept on and off, fidgeting and moving all over the place. As I was thinking about getting up, my mind dreamed of just that several times. Each one was a mistake as something bad happened. Finally, I decided I'd rather risk getting up than keep trying to sleep, only to dream about it.
Nothing bad happened and so, I sat down to write. Without too much work, it reached 2:30 in the afternoon and I'd done next to nothing.
The rest of my day passed slowly, as my attack finally let go. But only after I'd spent most of the time either in bed or trying to calm myself down.
Hate days like that. They leave me feeling weak and powerless.
Kristy C
Tuesday, August 26
Things I Like... David Eddings
When I was about 14, I picked up my first David Eddings book. The Diamond Throne.
Oh, how I loved that book. Tore through it, diving into a world with Church Knights, Magic, Gods and a magical Diamond... Before too long, I had to pick up the second book, The Ruby Knight, before grabbing the third one, The Sapphire Rose. Also known as, The Elenium.
From there, I sought out other books of his, The Belgariad and the Malloreon.
Now, those stories take place in a different world than the other books, but that's ok. It was filled with epic questions, a living-ish stone and a battle between the gods, that at one point ripped the planet apart.
Reading those books has been a joy I've taken on every few years since that first time.
Now, on to the reason I love his books.
1) Dialogue. The way his characters talk to each other is always so real to me. It reminds me of conversations I've had with people. Sparhawk and a Whore were chatting early on in the Diamond Throne, and she mentioned 'You know what's strange? My feet hurt. In my line of work, you'd think it would be my back... But its my feet.' And then she walks away.
It may sound strange, but that was one heck of an amazing moment in the story for me. I laughed, shaking my head at how silly that moment was. But he saw it as an important moment to share with the reader. Why? To show you an example of how the simplest things can happen to the most important of people. Sparhawk is the most important person on the planet, but he buys a whore a drink, just because he thought it a nice thing to do.
2) Characters. They were believable. As they wandered the world, they learned and grew and became something so much more. Garion was a kitchen boy who would become someone else, but through it all he never stopped being a simple kitchen boy.
In another book, Regina's Song [non-scifi] there are several scenes of conversation that seem so natural and honest, you feel as if you're sitting next to them taking part. The people are all so real, they become friends and family to you.
3) Not afraid of Death. Just as everyone talks about how amazing George R. Martin is at killing people, Eddings was good at killing someone in a way that breaks your heart. When I read The Elenium's first book, I often think ahead and start to cry over the character I love who's going to die... Near the end of book 3. Even now, I can feel the sad smile on my face a the wonderful memories that being gave me.
Killing a characters not that hard. Anyone can write the death of a character. But killing a beloved character, and doing it in a way that gives your hero's the heart they need to win? That's skill. Few authors I know get that point. The term 'Kill your darlings' is that you should go about killing everyone, its that you need to kill those in your books you love. Because sometimes, its the only way the story advances.
Course, that's a post for another time. :D
Now, I mentioned Regina's song.
Oh, how I loved that book. Tore through it, diving into a world with Church Knights, Magic, Gods and a magical Diamond... Before too long, I had to pick up the second book, The Ruby Knight, before grabbing the third one, The Sapphire Rose. Also known as, The Elenium.
 |
| The Elenium by David Eddings |
From there, I sought out other books of his, The Belgariad and the Malloreon.
 |
| The Belgariad and the Malloreon by David Eddings |
Reading those books has been a joy I've taken on every few years since that first time.
Now, on to the reason I love his books.
1) Dialogue. The way his characters talk to each other is always so real to me. It reminds me of conversations I've had with people. Sparhawk and a Whore were chatting early on in the Diamond Throne, and she mentioned 'You know what's strange? My feet hurt. In my line of work, you'd think it would be my back... But its my feet.' And then she walks away.
It may sound strange, but that was one heck of an amazing moment in the story for me. I laughed, shaking my head at how silly that moment was. But he saw it as an important moment to share with the reader. Why? To show you an example of how the simplest things can happen to the most important of people. Sparhawk is the most important person on the planet, but he buys a whore a drink, just because he thought it a nice thing to do.
2) Characters. They were believable. As they wandered the world, they learned and grew and became something so much more. Garion was a kitchen boy who would become someone else, but through it all he never stopped being a simple kitchen boy.
In another book, Regina's Song [non-scifi] there are several scenes of conversation that seem so natural and honest, you feel as if you're sitting next to them taking part. The people are all so real, they become friends and family to you.
3) Not afraid of Death. Just as everyone talks about how amazing George R. Martin is at killing people, Eddings was good at killing someone in a way that breaks your heart. When I read The Elenium's first book, I often think ahead and start to cry over the character I love who's going to die... Near the end of book 3. Even now, I can feel the sad smile on my face a the wonderful memories that being gave me.
Killing a characters not that hard. Anyone can write the death of a character. But killing a beloved character, and doing it in a way that gives your hero's the heart they need to win? That's skill. Few authors I know get that point. The term 'Kill your darlings' is that you should go about killing everyone, its that you need to kill those in your books you love. Because sometimes, its the only way the story advances.
Course, that's a post for another time. :D
Now, I mentioned Regina's song.
Its a story of a different caliber than the others. Very odd, very twisted... Very amazing. But highly not for everyone. Here, you find a modern tale of twins who face a separation that's impossible to deal with. Not normally one for thrillers, as they're too dark and too close to horror most of the time, this book was one I couldn't put down.
Dark and hauntingly beautiful, it changes your view on twins and the world around you, just as it changes the characters view.
One final comment about David Eddings, then I'm gonna let you go.
When I started The Belgariad, I picked up another book at the library, somehow missing a key word in its description... Its written after the rest of the books take place, to tell the story before hand.
Belgarath the Sorcerer is a sort of Prequel to the other ten books. It follows the life of Belgarath, right up to the start of Pawn of Prophecy. But the twist is it starts after The Seeress of Kell.
I read it by mistake and personally found it helped me through the other books, because I understood the history of the world around them. I didn't pick up Polgara the Sorceress until sometime later. Not a bad book, but Belgarath is my favorite book of all time. 7000 years of history, squished into one book.
What's not to love?
I hope you've enjoyed this edition of 'Things I Love'. I enjoyed writing it. Eddings isn't for everyone. And that's ok. We have a world filled with authors, because no one can write for everyone.
Kristy C
Monday, August 25
The Pretties of Me... Jewlery
Now, I've told you I'm a jewelry designer, but I haven't told you much more than that. Its an important aspect of my life, one of my greatest passions.
So today, I'm going to show you some of what I am. The catch is, I'm not going to share how it all came to be this time around. That will come later.
PICTURE TIME!!!
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Desiree N Carnate - Model |
 |
 |
You can find most of these items for sale at my etsy shop... Vintage Fusion Jewels
Kristy C
Sunday, August 24
Who Am I... A Geek
So, today we'll look at 'Who I Am as a geek'.
It came to me finally, as I've been watching Doctor Who a bit more.
Honestly, I can't remember a time when Science Fiction and Fantasy wasn't apart of my life. Growing up, we watched Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Star Trek movies. On VHS Tape I have the old Hobbit Cartoon, and the amazing Lord of the Rings one that's got live action and animation. The Last Unicorn, The Flight of Dragons and so many others.
I can't remember how old I was, I think about 13 or 14, when I found one of my favorite authors... David Eddings.
The Diamond Throne... It fascinated me and inspired me, I had to read more by him.
From Eddings, I picked up Terry Brooks and a few others, even Robert Jordan. Never finished the Shannara Series. Stopped when they went to the Air Ships. Nothing against Brooks, but the series seemed to repeat. I also enjoyed the Magic Landover stories. I also stopped the Wheel of Time books at book 9. It wasn't bad, just got tired of it after a little bit.
Later on I got into some scifi books, mostly Star Wars. Young Jedi Academy books and the X-Wing ones are the best, to me.
I've written Fan Fiction for a few Anime's and Video Games, before I abandoned that for more 'serious' writing.
After a few years, I lost interest in anime and manga's. Oddly, I'd like to still read them, but I don't have a lot of desire to actually sit down and read them.
I also got into comics, but they're damn expensive and keep changing storylines all the time. So now, I just go about reading what's happened in comics and acting like I know lots more than I do. ^^ Rather fun.
Over the years I've watched plenty of great SciFi shows, Babylon 5, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica [the original one], and others. I've also watched some ok things, Buffy, Angel and Charmed.
Almost 3 years ago I started to play a game called Pathfinder. Loved it really. Its opened a new door to my geekiness.
There are plenty of books out there I've not read that I've been told I should read, and more than I wish I could read.
Took me all day to write this post. Not sure why, except that Doctor Who was distracting me.
There's a lot more to write about me as a geek, more than can be contained in one blog.
Kristy C
It came to me finally, as I've been watching Doctor Who a bit more.
Honestly, I can't remember a time when Science Fiction and Fantasy wasn't apart of my life. Growing up, we watched Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Star Trek movies. On VHS Tape I have the old Hobbit Cartoon, and the amazing Lord of the Rings one that's got live action and animation. The Last Unicorn, The Flight of Dragons and so many others.
I can't remember how old I was, I think about 13 or 14, when I found one of my favorite authors... David Eddings.
The Diamond Throne... It fascinated me and inspired me, I had to read more by him.
From Eddings, I picked up Terry Brooks and a few others, even Robert Jordan. Never finished the Shannara Series. Stopped when they went to the Air Ships. Nothing against Brooks, but the series seemed to repeat. I also enjoyed the Magic Landover stories. I also stopped the Wheel of Time books at book 9. It wasn't bad, just got tired of it after a little bit.
Later on I got into some scifi books, mostly Star Wars. Young Jedi Academy books and the X-Wing ones are the best, to me.
I've written Fan Fiction for a few Anime's and Video Games, before I abandoned that for more 'serious' writing.
After a few years, I lost interest in anime and manga's. Oddly, I'd like to still read them, but I don't have a lot of desire to actually sit down and read them.
I also got into comics, but they're damn expensive and keep changing storylines all the time. So now, I just go about reading what's happened in comics and acting like I know lots more than I do. ^^ Rather fun.
Over the years I've watched plenty of great SciFi shows, Babylon 5, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica [the original one], and others. I've also watched some ok things, Buffy, Angel and Charmed.
Almost 3 years ago I started to play a game called Pathfinder. Loved it really. Its opened a new door to my geekiness.
There are plenty of books out there I've not read that I've been told I should read, and more than I wish I could read.
Took me all day to write this post. Not sure why, except that Doctor Who was distracting me.
There's a lot more to write about me as a geek, more than can be contained in one blog.
Kristy C
Saturday, August 23
Things I've Written...
As mentioned before, I've been spending August doing a challenge for 29 days of writing prompts to building my skills as a writer.
I have three days not yet finished, but well started. One day, I just can't seem to get going in my head. I've had ideas, but nothing that's stuck. So, I wanted to share with you what I wrote for one of the days recently, as I thought it was rather interesting.
This prompt came in three pieces, with your goal being to do one, then take a break before doing the next and repeating the set one more time after that. Below, I'll share each of the prompts and the what I wrote as a response.
It had been years since he'd had a chance to walk into a bar and just take a moment. Lately, each visit was to bring Kyran back to the Station, or to pick up a villain for the police. The idea that he'd be able to sit and enjoy a drink was strange.
Just inside the door, he stopped and let his eyes wander over this particular bar. Times had changed since he had last been able to go out and drink. As a young man, these had been saloons and pubs, where men met to talk about the world around them and share a drink together. Most of the women had been call girls or waitresses. In the 40's, they'd felt more 'themed', with packed dance floors, shows and lots of tables for a couple to share a stolen moment at.
The only constant between them all, was the music and the drunks.
Music always seemed to be playing from some source or another, be it live or recorded. It helped to drown out the talking and gave those alone something they could focus on, other than being alone.
It was the same with the drunks. Always one or two who came almost daily to drown their sorrows in a drink or two... Or ten. The bartenders took care of them, cutting them off at the right time and getting them home safely.
Taking a good look around, he saw the drunks and heard the music and then focused on what made this place unique.
Art decorated the walls, loud and bold in its colors and strokes. It was abstract, but that didn't stop it from speaking volumes. The decor was strange and mismatched, tables of various sizes and surrounded by different kinds of chairs. To him, the place managed to feel both old world, and modern at the same time. It felt a little like home.
Stepping up to the bar, he took a seat and looked at the drinks on tap, before finding one he wanted and calling to the young man to place his order.
"I'll try the Hopped Up Sampler."
--------------
He pushed open the large door, wondering how the daintier customers got in when even he had to give it a solid heave too. Still, it helped to keep the weather out and the warmth of the bar in.
A friend had suggested this one to him, a place he might feel more at home in, while still keeping in the modern world. His friend was fight.
Stepping to the side, in case someone else tried to get in, he took a moment t admire one of the several pieces of art around the place. Bold and loud colors called to him, their abstract brush strokes speaking volumes more than some might have thought. It fit with the way the room was littered with tables of all shapes and sizes, surrounded by chairs that didn't match.
It made the place feel somehow old fashioned, and modern. Like himself.
"Jus' one more drink?" A voice called out behind him, causing the man to turn catch a glimpse of one staple in all bars, regardless of time.
A drunk.
"No can do Kelly. You know the rules. Six makes you angry and you can't afford to fix this place up, again."
"But, it was such a bad day..." He started, before nodding and trying to stand up.
"Let me call you a cab. We'll make sure the cars safe until tomorrow, then you can have your husband come and pick it up with your daughter." A hand was held out and the drunk, Kelly, dutifully put his keys in it and waited for the cab to pick him up.
With the distraction gone, he noticed the other thing all bars had in common. Music.
Here, it was a unique sound that actually mixed old recordings of music with modern dance. It, fit the world created here.
Stepping up to the bar, now that Kelly was taken care of, he closed his eyes and felt the way everything moved around him, before ordering.
"I'd like a bourbon."
--------------
It wasn't your typical bar, but then most bars weren't all that typical in the end. Each had a clientele they wanted to serve, and did their best to attract those people.
A heavy oak door was the only entrance, keeping some out just from the imposing nature of it. It helped to keep men gentlemen as some struggled to open it on their own. But that was by design as well, the first step in assuring they kept 'riff raff out' and proper in.
Loud and bold art work littered the plain walls, drawing the attention of those who entered first. One step away from being too much, it helped to set the stage for the place you were about to enter. Its abstract strokes mixing well with the mishmash of tables and chairs, all of which had long lost their original pairings.
At one of the bar, a drunk begged the tender for another drink, proclaiming that it had been a bad day and he just needed 'one more.'
The quality of the bar was shown in not only the refusal of the drink, but the reason being that they knew the consequence and didn't want him to face that again. It was further proven when the bartender requested the keys, calling a cab so his patron wouldn't get hurt on the way home.
Music, pumped in from an unknown place, added to the original effect of melding ideas with its strange vintage and modern twist in each song.
Everything in the place had been carefully crafted to call to the right person, one who was suited for this kind of world. Longing for the days of yesteryear, while understanding that the present was needed.
It all suited him just fine, as he stepped up and ordered.
"Scotch on the rocks. Oban Highland, Single Malt. Nothing under 15 years."
--------------
I thought it was interesting how each of the endings had a different drink, growing in its speciality as the description of the bar and what was seen grew in definition. Really enjoyed this challenge. ^^
Kristy C
I have three days not yet finished, but well started. One day, I just can't seem to get going in my head. I've had ideas, but nothing that's stuck. So, I wanted to share with you what I wrote for one of the days recently, as I thought it was rather interesting.
This prompt came in three pieces, with your goal being to do one, then take a break before doing the next and repeating the set one more time after that. Below, I'll share each of the prompts and the what I wrote as a response.
Part 1: Start the exercise with your character walking into a bar and taking in the scene. Write what happens in one page. End with your character sitting at the bar and ordering a drink. Write normally, like you would write if this weren't an exercise. When you've finished, put away what you wrote and take a break before doing part 2.
It had been years since he'd had a chance to walk into a bar and just take a moment. Lately, each visit was to bring Kyran back to the Station, or to pick up a villain for the police. The idea that he'd be able to sit and enjoy a drink was strange.
Just inside the door, he stopped and let his eyes wander over this particular bar. Times had changed since he had last been able to go out and drink. As a young man, these had been saloons and pubs, where men met to talk about the world around them and share a drink together. Most of the women had been call girls or waitresses. In the 40's, they'd felt more 'themed', with packed dance floors, shows and lots of tables for a couple to share a stolen moment at.
The only constant between them all, was the music and the drunks.
Music always seemed to be playing from some source or another, be it live or recorded. It helped to drown out the talking and gave those alone something they could focus on, other than being alone.
It was the same with the drunks. Always one or two who came almost daily to drown their sorrows in a drink or two... Or ten. The bartenders took care of them, cutting them off at the right time and getting them home safely.
Taking a good look around, he saw the drunks and heard the music and then focused on what made this place unique.
Art decorated the walls, loud and bold in its colors and strokes. It was abstract, but that didn't stop it from speaking volumes. The decor was strange and mismatched, tables of various sizes and surrounded by different kinds of chairs. To him, the place managed to feel both old world, and modern at the same time. It felt a little like home.
Stepping up to the bar, he took a seat and looked at the drinks on tap, before finding one he wanted and calling to the young man to place his order.
"I'll try the Hopped Up Sampler."
--------------
Part 2: Do the exact same thing as in Part 1, but now I want you to zoom in the narrative distance. Get up close and personal with your character. Feel the cigarette smoke seeping into his skin and the his shoes catching on the floor that's sticky from spilled beer. Write that page in this zoom-lens POV. Again, end with your character ordering a drink, then put away what you wrote and take a break.
He pushed open the large door, wondering how the daintier customers got in when even he had to give it a solid heave too. Still, it helped to keep the weather out and the warmth of the bar in.
A friend had suggested this one to him, a place he might feel more at home in, while still keeping in the modern world. His friend was fight.
Stepping to the side, in case someone else tried to get in, he took a moment t admire one of the several pieces of art around the place. Bold and loud colors called to him, their abstract brush strokes speaking volumes more than some might have thought. It fit with the way the room was littered with tables of all shapes and sizes, surrounded by chairs that didn't match.
It made the place feel somehow old fashioned, and modern. Like himself.
"Jus' one more drink?" A voice called out behind him, causing the man to turn catch a glimpse of one staple in all bars, regardless of time.
A drunk.
"No can do Kelly. You know the rules. Six makes you angry and you can't afford to fix this place up, again."
"But, it was such a bad day..." He started, before nodding and trying to stand up.
"Let me call you a cab. We'll make sure the cars safe until tomorrow, then you can have your husband come and pick it up with your daughter." A hand was held out and the drunk, Kelly, dutifully put his keys in it and waited for the cab to pick him up.
With the distraction gone, he noticed the other thing all bars had in common. Music.
Here, it was a unique sound that actually mixed old recordings of music with modern dance. It, fit the world created here.
Stepping up to the bar, now that Kelly was taken care of, he closed his eyes and felt the way everything moved around him, before ordering.
"I'd like a bourbon."
--------------
Part 3: Repeat parts 1&2, only this time zoom out to a full panoramic distance. You're still in the limited POV, but now you're far, far away, getting a panoramic view of the scene. We should almost forget that we're in the POV character's head until he or she sits at the bar and orders a drink to end the scene.
It wasn't your typical bar, but then most bars weren't all that typical in the end. Each had a clientele they wanted to serve, and did their best to attract those people.
A heavy oak door was the only entrance, keeping some out just from the imposing nature of it. It helped to keep men gentlemen as some struggled to open it on their own. But that was by design as well, the first step in assuring they kept 'riff raff out' and proper in.
Loud and bold art work littered the plain walls, drawing the attention of those who entered first. One step away from being too much, it helped to set the stage for the place you were about to enter. Its abstract strokes mixing well with the mishmash of tables and chairs, all of which had long lost their original pairings.
At one of the bar, a drunk begged the tender for another drink, proclaiming that it had been a bad day and he just needed 'one more.'
The quality of the bar was shown in not only the refusal of the drink, but the reason being that they knew the consequence and didn't want him to face that again. It was further proven when the bartender requested the keys, calling a cab so his patron wouldn't get hurt on the way home.
Music, pumped in from an unknown place, added to the original effect of melding ideas with its strange vintage and modern twist in each song.
Everything in the place had been carefully crafted to call to the right person, one who was suited for this kind of world. Longing for the days of yesteryear, while understanding that the present was needed.
It all suited him just fine, as he stepped up and ordered.
"Scotch on the rocks. Oban Highland, Single Malt. Nothing under 15 years."
--------------
I thought it was interesting how each of the endings had a different drink, growing in its speciality as the description of the bar and what was seen grew in definition. Really enjoyed this challenge. ^^
Kristy C
Friday, August 22
Things I like... Xanadu
So, I'm sure some of you have heard of the movie Xanadu. Most likely, you've heard that its a bad, terrible, horrible movie. Well, you've heard correctly. At least in part.
Xanadu isn't a great movie. They spent a lot of money on songs and special effects, and neglected to buy a plot. It however is not a terrible, horrible movie. I've seen those, and they tend to be called 'Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell', a film with no Nymphoids, not barbarism and no dino's. But, that's a post of another color.
No, Xanadu falls into the category of 'Cult Classing, Bad Film.' Rocky Horror and Buckaroo Banzai fall into that same genre. Movies that you'll most likely either love, or hate. There isn't really an in between with them. I'm not a fan of the former, and I have seen it. And the later is one I enjoy.
The story in Xanadu is however interesting, if you look at it away from the bad acting on some part and the overdone special effect [both of which I think actually make it a great movie.]
Start with an artist. One who wants to be something. He dreams of stepping out into the world and showing his skills and being recognized. Sadly, he seems doomed to live in a world of 'paint by numbers' as he calls it. What does he do? He takes album covers and paints them larger, so they can hang on the side of record stores.
To quote Gene Kelly's character as he hears just that, 'Sounds like you should take long lunch breaks.'
He wants more, but when he tries... Nothing comes of it and he is forced back into this dark, dank world he hates.
Until he is kissed by a women. She skates up to him, kisses him, then leaves.
No starts the film, as he searches for her and ends up joining forces with an older man to open up a night club.
Xanadu.
Through all this, we routinely break out into song and frequently do so on roller skates. Electric Light Orchestra provides almost all the music. And, its actually pretty good. I've grown to love almost every song from that movie and can easily start singing at any time.
Of course, as all good romantic comedies with music storylines go, we must lose the girl for various reason, then fight for the girl.
For me, its in the lead up to this that the movie passes on its best message.
Sonny, the young artist, says that without the girl, the dream is dead.
Danny, Gene Kelly's character, tells him different. He says that dreams don't die, we kill them. He continues by saying that if he really loves this girl, then he has to fight for her and get over his whininess.
I won't share how it ends, but its not quite the typical way. There is an amazingly HUGE skate and dance sequence that lasts a good 20 minutes, with Olivia Newton-John singing most of it.
What I will do, is tell you how this movie inspired me.
Not sure when I first saw this, but I know I was young and impressionable. But I was still me, and after one viewing on my VHS tape, I wondered 'Which muse was Kira?' She started to give a name before being kissed, and so I went to my enciclopedia and looked up the muses.
This moment was where my love of greek mythology, and mythology in general, started. I researched, checked out books, learned and enjoyed. I may not have as much knowledge on the subject as others, but I know enough to make me happy. And it sparked a love affair that's not gone away and in fact is showing up in my current WIP story.
In the scene described above with Gene Kelly, I also realized something that helped to change me. Dreams are alive, and when we give up... We kill that dream.
Some years ago, as described in another post, I had to see my dream change to become reality.
Heres how I see it. Our dreams are like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Its at our mercy, trapped in a small space. We THINK we know how it'll look when it comes out. That's the constant dreaming.
When it emerges, we see the reality of it. Here is where it can live or die once again, when we're faced with those changes.
Yes, Xanadu is a badly made movie. But to me, it was something that helped inspire and change the course of my life. I never gave up on my dreams, because Gene Kelly told me I'd kill them if I did.
Kristy C
Xanadu isn't a great movie. They spent a lot of money on songs and special effects, and neglected to buy a plot. It however is not a terrible, horrible movie. I've seen those, and they tend to be called 'Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell', a film with no Nymphoids, not barbarism and no dino's. But, that's a post of another color.
No, Xanadu falls into the category of 'Cult Classing, Bad Film.' Rocky Horror and Buckaroo Banzai fall into that same genre. Movies that you'll most likely either love, or hate. There isn't really an in between with them. I'm not a fan of the former, and I have seen it. And the later is one I enjoy.
The story in Xanadu is however interesting, if you look at it away from the bad acting on some part and the overdone special effect [both of which I think actually make it a great movie.]
Start with an artist. One who wants to be something. He dreams of stepping out into the world and showing his skills and being recognized. Sadly, he seems doomed to live in a world of 'paint by numbers' as he calls it. What does he do? He takes album covers and paints them larger, so they can hang on the side of record stores.
To quote Gene Kelly's character as he hears just that, 'Sounds like you should take long lunch breaks.'
He wants more, but when he tries... Nothing comes of it and he is forced back into this dark, dank world he hates.
Until he is kissed by a women. She skates up to him, kisses him, then leaves.
No starts the film, as he searches for her and ends up joining forces with an older man to open up a night club.
Xanadu.
Through all this, we routinely break out into song and frequently do so on roller skates. Electric Light Orchestra provides almost all the music. And, its actually pretty good. I've grown to love almost every song from that movie and can easily start singing at any time.
Of course, as all good romantic comedies with music storylines go, we must lose the girl for various reason, then fight for the girl.
For me, its in the lead up to this that the movie passes on its best message.
Sonny, the young artist, says that without the girl, the dream is dead.
Danny, Gene Kelly's character, tells him different. He says that dreams don't die, we kill them. He continues by saying that if he really loves this girl, then he has to fight for her and get over his whininess.
I won't share how it ends, but its not quite the typical way. There is an amazingly HUGE skate and dance sequence that lasts a good 20 minutes, with Olivia Newton-John singing most of it.
What I will do, is tell you how this movie inspired me.
Not sure when I first saw this, but I know I was young and impressionable. But I was still me, and after one viewing on my VHS tape, I wondered 'Which muse was Kira?' She started to give a name before being kissed, and so I went to my enciclopedia and looked up the muses.
This moment was where my love of greek mythology, and mythology in general, started. I researched, checked out books, learned and enjoyed. I may not have as much knowledge on the subject as others, but I know enough to make me happy. And it sparked a love affair that's not gone away and in fact is showing up in my current WIP story.
In the scene described above with Gene Kelly, I also realized something that helped to change me. Dreams are alive, and when we give up... We kill that dream.
Some years ago, as described in another post, I had to see my dream change to become reality.
Heres how I see it. Our dreams are like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Its at our mercy, trapped in a small space. We THINK we know how it'll look when it comes out. That's the constant dreaming.
When it emerges, we see the reality of it. Here is where it can live or die once again, when we're faced with those changes.
Yes, Xanadu is a badly made movie. But to me, it was something that helped inspire and change the course of my life. I never gave up on my dreams, because Gene Kelly told me I'd kill them if I did.
Kristy C
Thursday, August 21
Who am I... The Author
I've got a few titles I like to go by, Author, Friend, Daughter, Screw up [don't actually like that one, but its accurate], Artist, Designer, Weirdo, Geek...
And each one interacts with at least one other at any given time. But I wanted to break it down a bit and focus on just one element to introduce to you first.
Author, or Writer.
When I was 12 my family went to a convention in Orlando, FL and being who my mother was, given a choice of putting me with the 10-13 year olds or the 14-18 year olds, she put me in the older age group. I never minded, as I've often found people my own age are idiots. Could just be the ones I met however.
Anywho, they were doing some career assessment or something by Larry Burkette and I found it thrilling. As the youngest person in the room, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up.
I wanted to own a bookstore.
Years later, this translated a bit into being a writer and the love I feel at asking questions and being able to suggest a book to someone. The idea that I might have helped pick out a book you'll adore, not much else comes close to the happiness that brings me.
Once again, years passed and I saw the decline of the bookstore and it broke my heart. I still dream a bit of perhaps owning one, just to own it, but its more dream than anything else now.
3-4 years ago, I'm honestly not sure which.. The time bleeds together as it was either just before or just after my mother passed away, I was talking with my best friend about a realization I'd had. It wasn't bad, just hurt a little to admit.
I hope you're ready, because I want to explain the wholeness of where my mind was coming from at the time AND how I explained what I felt.
At this time, I was trying to work through getting my degree online through Kaplan [Got it, graduate of 2013 with a BS in Business]. I'd already put together a little faux business plan for a cafe I'd dreamed up, that would sit next to my bookstore.
But more and more I was seeing that the bookstore wasn't something realistic. Dreams don't have to be realistic, but for them to happen... You have to face the reality of the dream That was this moment.
Not everyone understands how I decided this change was good. After all, at this point I'd been dreaming of the bookstore for about 25 years.
So, I used a book to show how dreams or ambitions can help shape our realities. The Cross and The Switchblade.
In the store, the MC is a pastor of a small church. He comes from a line of pastors, but hasn't felt he's found his place as one just yet. One day, he sees a report about 4 gang members in New York and feels a calling on his heart to go and see them, to witness to them and reach out.
After prayer and talks with his wife, they raise the money and he goes to NY. He is unable to see the 4 gang members, but ends up meeting others and after some time starts a small group and after years of hard work, starts a small program called Teen Challenge.
His life is altered, but he's found his calling in faith. To reach out to the youths in cities and help them clean up to a better life. At the end of the story, he comments that he NEVER got to see those 4 young men that inspired him.
What does this have to do with me? I dreamed of owning a bookstore. There are two main parts to that dream. Books and the Store.
One day, I realized I just had to split it into two dreams. Writer and Store owner. It hurt a bit, but it also made sense. I'd been writing more and found jewelry design.
But without that dream, that goal, I may not have been prepared for either of the others when the time came. The dream had to alter to become reality. Doesn't mean I didn't fulfill my dream.
---
Like many out there, I started my writing in Fan Fiction. Don't look, you can't find the clean or the dirty pieces any more. I actually tried recently to find the dirty ones. Gods, did I have big eyes back then. I took 4 of my favorite Anime's, melded them into one world and introduced counterparts for almost all of them. By the end of my 'planning' stage, I had building lay outs, room assignments, over 70 characters and micro bio's for nearly every one of my characters. Even those I hadn't created.
I wrote a story that took place 2 years into the whole thing, at a turning point. At the time, I thought it was epic. Looking back, I try to remember why. I also had a start to it all, but got so bogged down with the details I felt I NEEDED, that I lost the story and now have a huge STACK of folders and notebooks with information on them, sitting uselessly on a shelf.
Star Wars also saw my hand, but it didn't get that far as new books kept coming out and ruining my continuation stories. Final Fantasy 8 caught me, and those ones were NSFW. :D
For a while, I also had [and hope to someday plot out a bit more] a kinda epic fantasy I'd created, with races and quests and all that jazz.
Then, I just stopped. I didn't bother writing and didn't care to continue and I was OK with that. Well, I thought I was. I'd try starting things, but couldn't get into it. Yes, much of that was during the 7 year battle with cancer my mom had, but I still made a choice somewhere to stop, even when I tried.
In the end, 2010 was a sorta big year for me. It started changes that wouldn't be able to fully manifest until 2012ish.
November, 2010... I wrote a novel.
No, you can't find it out any place, as its been sitting in files, still in first draft mode. But I did it. I wrote something that's considered a novel. It is my baby.
Which is why, its not around for you to see yet. Before I touch it, I want to understand myself as an editor. I compare it to Walt Disney and Sleeping Beauty. He loved the story and wanted badly to animate it. But he waited until they understood animation more, because he wanted to do it justice.
That's how I feel.
But, I spent some time writing and I spit out YA Romance in pieces on DeviantArt. I wrote a story about a prebreed of Werewolves, who were cooled and NOT called Werewolves. I dallied and didn't do much, but I was writing.
In 2011 I started another NaNo Novel, The Seer. I did research, planning, all that. Even created a front AND back cover for it.
For all the work I put into it, I have about 5000 words of story and no real goal in mind for it, except I travel through time and everything is centered on a single place.
I ended up being inspired by Once Upon a Time [before I gave up on the show. Midway through season one.]. I rewrote fairy tales. Personally, I loved how it started out.
The story is still there, and I have worked on it some. But I got distracted by school, work and life and it sits, waiting for my return. And the Seer also waits for me to one day know the story a little better and make it happen.
2012 was the start of my 'demise' in writing. I started a story, Key to the Fae, based off a necklace series I'd created. I know where its going and elements of the story, but it sits alone with the others. That year I ended up using schoolwork and odd shorts to pad my NaNo numbers.
By 2013, I wasn't working on much. I'd started a story calle A Clockwork World, and its about 1/3-1/2 finished. At the very least, part one of the story is finished AND is halfway edited. I like that story and hope to work on it next.
At some point during the year, I did a challenge called 'The 7 Day Story'. It was fun and I did just that, writing a short story in 7 days. The Wandering Wizard.
In October of 2013 my car, which at the time had all of my jewelry, was stolen. Exactly two months and two days later, they found the car. Elements had been broken, but it was in tact. What had been inside, was gone. And after two months, lost forever. Because of the whole event, I had to make a choice as November rolled up. Struggle to rebuild while splitting my muse in two, or put aside writing to focus only on the jewelry... Because it was actually making me some money.
My 2013 Resolution was to be published, or have my story in the hands of a publishing editor, by the end of 2014. At the start of the year, I edited it, left it alone, worked on it, left it alone and at the beginning of the year, sent it out into the world to a few places for possible publication.
And each one interacts with at least one other at any given time. But I wanted to break it down a bit and focus on just one element to introduce to you first.
Author, or Writer.
When I was 12 my family went to a convention in Orlando, FL and being who my mother was, given a choice of putting me with the 10-13 year olds or the 14-18 year olds, she put me in the older age group. I never minded, as I've often found people my own age are idiots. Could just be the ones I met however.
Anywho, they were doing some career assessment or something by Larry Burkette and I found it thrilling. As the youngest person in the room, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up.
I wanted to own a bookstore.
Years later, this translated a bit into being a writer and the love I feel at asking questions and being able to suggest a book to someone. The idea that I might have helped pick out a book you'll adore, not much else comes close to the happiness that brings me.
Once again, years passed and I saw the decline of the bookstore and it broke my heart. I still dream a bit of perhaps owning one, just to own it, but its more dream than anything else now.
3-4 years ago, I'm honestly not sure which.. The time bleeds together as it was either just before or just after my mother passed away, I was talking with my best friend about a realization I'd had. It wasn't bad, just hurt a little to admit.
I hope you're ready, because I want to explain the wholeness of where my mind was coming from at the time AND how I explained what I felt.
At this time, I was trying to work through getting my degree online through Kaplan [Got it, graduate of 2013 with a BS in Business]. I'd already put together a little faux business plan for a cafe I'd dreamed up, that would sit next to my bookstore.
But more and more I was seeing that the bookstore wasn't something realistic. Dreams don't have to be realistic, but for them to happen... You have to face the reality of the dream That was this moment.
Not everyone understands how I decided this change was good. After all, at this point I'd been dreaming of the bookstore for about 25 years.
So, I used a book to show how dreams or ambitions can help shape our realities. The Cross and The Switchblade.
In the store, the MC is a pastor of a small church. He comes from a line of pastors, but hasn't felt he's found his place as one just yet. One day, he sees a report about 4 gang members in New York and feels a calling on his heart to go and see them, to witness to them and reach out.
After prayer and talks with his wife, they raise the money and he goes to NY. He is unable to see the 4 gang members, but ends up meeting others and after some time starts a small group and after years of hard work, starts a small program called Teen Challenge.
His life is altered, but he's found his calling in faith. To reach out to the youths in cities and help them clean up to a better life. At the end of the story, he comments that he NEVER got to see those 4 young men that inspired him.
What does this have to do with me? I dreamed of owning a bookstore. There are two main parts to that dream. Books and the Store.
One day, I realized I just had to split it into two dreams. Writer and Store owner. It hurt a bit, but it also made sense. I'd been writing more and found jewelry design.
But without that dream, that goal, I may not have been prepared for either of the others when the time came. The dream had to alter to become reality. Doesn't mean I didn't fulfill my dream.
---
Like many out there, I started my writing in Fan Fiction. Don't look, you can't find the clean or the dirty pieces any more. I actually tried recently to find the dirty ones. Gods, did I have big eyes back then. I took 4 of my favorite Anime's, melded them into one world and introduced counterparts for almost all of them. By the end of my 'planning' stage, I had building lay outs, room assignments, over 70 characters and micro bio's for nearly every one of my characters. Even those I hadn't created.
I wrote a story that took place 2 years into the whole thing, at a turning point. At the time, I thought it was epic. Looking back, I try to remember why. I also had a start to it all, but got so bogged down with the details I felt I NEEDED, that I lost the story and now have a huge STACK of folders and notebooks with information on them, sitting uselessly on a shelf.
Star Wars also saw my hand, but it didn't get that far as new books kept coming out and ruining my continuation stories. Final Fantasy 8 caught me, and those ones were NSFW. :D
For a while, I also had [and hope to someday plot out a bit more] a kinda epic fantasy I'd created, with races and quests and all that jazz.
Then, I just stopped. I didn't bother writing and didn't care to continue and I was OK with that. Well, I thought I was. I'd try starting things, but couldn't get into it. Yes, much of that was during the 7 year battle with cancer my mom had, but I still made a choice somewhere to stop, even when I tried.
In the end, 2010 was a sorta big year for me. It started changes that wouldn't be able to fully manifest until 2012ish.
November, 2010... I wrote a novel.
No, you can't find it out any place, as its been sitting in files, still in first draft mode. But I did it. I wrote something that's considered a novel. It is my baby.
Which is why, its not around for you to see yet. Before I touch it, I want to understand myself as an editor. I compare it to Walt Disney and Sleeping Beauty. He loved the story and wanted badly to animate it. But he waited until they understood animation more, because he wanted to do it justice.
That's how I feel.
But, I spent some time writing and I spit out YA Romance in pieces on DeviantArt. I wrote a story about a prebreed of Werewolves, who were cooled and NOT called Werewolves. I dallied and didn't do much, but I was writing.
In 2011 I started another NaNo Novel, The Seer. I did research, planning, all that. Even created a front AND back cover for it.
For all the work I put into it, I have about 5000 words of story and no real goal in mind for it, except I travel through time and everything is centered on a single place.I ended up being inspired by Once Upon a Time [before I gave up on the show. Midway through season one.]. I rewrote fairy tales. Personally, I loved how it started out.
Once upon a time... Words synonymous with fairy tales and happy endings. You've heard all the stories, of prince's that sweep in at the last minute and rescue the princess from certain death, while managing to look dashing the whole time.It was different than what I normally do. I got to insult the reader and tell a story how I dreamed it could have happened. The narrator explained why the changes happened, shares the truth and even why fairy tales aren't believable.
Let me tell you, they tend to take a very different when you're standing on the inside looking out at one. Very, very different.
The story is still there, and I have worked on it some. But I got distracted by school, work and life and it sits, waiting for my return. And the Seer also waits for me to one day know the story a little better and make it happen.
2012 was the start of my 'demise' in writing. I started a story, Key to the Fae, based off a necklace series I'd created. I know where its going and elements of the story, but it sits alone with the others. That year I ended up using schoolwork and odd shorts to pad my NaNo numbers.
By 2013, I wasn't working on much. I'd started a story calle A Clockwork World, and its about 1/3-1/2 finished. At the very least, part one of the story is finished AND is halfway edited. I like that story and hope to work on it next.
At some point during the year, I did a challenge called 'The 7 Day Story'. It was fun and I did just that, writing a short story in 7 days. The Wandering Wizard.
In October of 2013 my car, which at the time had all of my jewelry, was stolen. Exactly two months and two days later, they found the car. Elements had been broken, but it was in tact. What had been inside, was gone. And after two months, lost forever. Because of the whole event, I had to make a choice as November rolled up. Struggle to rebuild while splitting my muse in two, or put aside writing to focus only on the jewelry... Because it was actually making me some money.
My 2013 Resolution was to be published, or have my story in the hands of a publishing editor, by the end of 2014. At the start of the year, I edited it, left it alone, worked on it, left it alone and at the beginning of the year, sent it out into the world to a few places for possible publication.
In July I'd received another rejection and said 'Screw it.' and self published my short story.
Currently, I'm working on a superhero like story called 'I've Always Known When I Died.' It had only been an idea from last year, until I found DIY MFA, who had also done the 7 Day Story Challenge, nee challenge, Conquer the Craft. 29 days in August where each day you receive a prompt and are encouraged to write for 29 minutes on that prompt.
It opened doors in my head and even though we're only on day 20, I've already written tons for my next story. Right now, it's all in pieces and I'll have to put together the puzzle, but damn does it feel good.
For the first time in years, I've felt like a writer. Sure I've only got a 25 page story out there on the market, and only sold 3 copies of it... But, it is out there.
And at this same time, I've felt like I stand a chance to make it as a jewelry designer, which I'll chat about more on another day.
Not sure if I actually answered my own question of Who am I, the author... But I enjoyed getting all this written out.
Kristy C
Wednesday, August 20
Who is this would be somebody?
Since I've edited this page down some, and just started to reshare it, you might like to know who the heck I am.
Well, its fairly simple really and to start, I'm going to share what I posted on my 'About me' page on FB.
I'm a creative who's been lucky to have 2 amazing parents for almost 29 years of my life. My mother passed away in 2011, but I still have a great father.That, in a nutshell, is me. Sure, there's more I could add. But I think its more fun if you ask me some questions.
I'm a Klingon-Hobbit, descendant of the Brandybucks [Meridoc specifically] and ancestor to the house of Mogh [Worf].
I'm a geek, a chick, a sap, a tater and a general weirdo.
I like my life stable, but enjoy the random.
I'm a shy person who can't stand large groups and takes a while to open up... Then you can't shut me up. :D
I adore selling things to people, love designing and creating and hope to have jewelry in a TV Show or Movie and a Book on a best sellers list.
I'm complex, confusing and generally odd.
Mostly, I'm a unique person who deserves to be treated with respect, even if we don't agree.
I am, Kristy.
So, fire away.
Kristy C
Tuesday, August 19
August is for Writing and Balance
I've struggled over the last year to get back into writing, as my jewelry business has become central in my life. And its not that I dislike that, but writing is at the center of my heart. Jewelry Design is special but not AS special.
At the end of July, I had listed over 200 items in my Etsy store, had close to 100 more made and not yet listed [due to fees] and was trying to save/raise money for a big trip at the end of September. No shows or real plans for August at that point. I was out of a lot of supplies, so making things wasn't going to happen without funds and in general, the business would end up going on a sort of 'nap'.
I'd also received an email from the lovely Gabriela over at DIY MFA (Do It Yourself Master of Fine Arts) about an upcoming project/challenge they were doing called 'Conquer the Craft'. For the first 29 days of August, you would receive a daily prompt meant to help challenge yourself in writing. Most should only take about 29 minutes to do, but longer was ok.
The main goal was to push yourself AND get into the norm of writing. I saw this as a godsend, since I wanted badly to write and just needed a push.
And there it was.
So I happily put aside the jewelry. I had a few events at the start of September I could plan for, and figured I'd just deal with them when they happened.
But as we've passed the halfway point, I see that I was only half right.
I need to find balance in my muse. Balance will help me to move on into the next few months, with 4 shows of various lengths, and keep my writing a thing. A normal thing.
August is about balance.
Despite having no actual funds to buy supplies, I need to strive to build even pieces of jewelry or plot out designs, so when I can make that order I'm not floundering. I need to work on my stories, even just background and time lines.
Instead of 30 min on my writing, I need 30 min on writing, 30 on the business, 30 on promotion and 30 here... TWO HOURS A DAY!!!
That's all my heart says I need to stress over. Spend the other times cleaning, running errands, researching, do what needs to be done.
Grow past this broken place you've been in for too long.
August is about balance.
I'm not naive enough to know there won't be times when one overshadows the other. Try as we might, total balance isn't in our control. But I also know that I am tired of giving up halfway, tired of feeling trapped with one or the other and tired of barely getting by.
Tired of being only a WOULD BE Somebody.
Kristy C
At the end of July, I had listed over 200 items in my Etsy store, had close to 100 more made and not yet listed [due to fees] and was trying to save/raise money for a big trip at the end of September. No shows or real plans for August at that point. I was out of a lot of supplies, so making things wasn't going to happen without funds and in general, the business would end up going on a sort of 'nap'.
I'd also received an email from the lovely Gabriela over at DIY MFA (Do It Yourself Master of Fine Arts) about an upcoming project/challenge they were doing called 'Conquer the Craft'. For the first 29 days of August, you would receive a daily prompt meant to help challenge yourself in writing. Most should only take about 29 minutes to do, but longer was ok.
The main goal was to push yourself AND get into the norm of writing. I saw this as a godsend, since I wanted badly to write and just needed a push.
And there it was.
So I happily put aside the jewelry. I had a few events at the start of September I could plan for, and figured I'd just deal with them when they happened.
But as we've passed the halfway point, I see that I was only half right.
I need to find balance in my muse. Balance will help me to move on into the next few months, with 4 shows of various lengths, and keep my writing a thing. A normal thing.
August is about balance.
Despite having no actual funds to buy supplies, I need to strive to build even pieces of jewelry or plot out designs, so when I can make that order I'm not floundering. I need to work on my stories, even just background and time lines.
Instead of 30 min on my writing, I need 30 min on writing, 30 on the business, 30 on promotion and 30 here... TWO HOURS A DAY!!!
That's all my heart says I need to stress over. Spend the other times cleaning, running errands, researching, do what needs to be done.
Grow past this broken place you've been in for too long.
August is about balance.
I'm not naive enough to know there won't be times when one overshadows the other. Try as we might, total balance isn't in our control. But I also know that I am tired of giving up halfway, tired of feeling trapped with one or the other and tired of barely getting by.
Tired of being only a WOULD BE Somebody.
Kristy C
Monday, August 18
A new start...
I hope.
This has been sitting here, unused and long forgotten for some time now. And I am sorry about that. Went through some pretty bad spots in my life and I'm only just now starting to get back on my feet.
Oddly enough, I feel a desire to start this up again.
I can't promise it'll be daily, my goal will be at least once a week. The content will be a mixture of daily living, writing and jewelry design, because that's what my life consists of right now. I hope it attracts some people along the way.
For now, hello and welcome to a new start, complete with a new name.
The Life & Times of a Would be Somebody.
Kristy C
This has been sitting here, unused and long forgotten for some time now. And I am sorry about that. Went through some pretty bad spots in my life and I'm only just now starting to get back on my feet.
Oddly enough, I feel a desire to start this up again.
I can't promise it'll be daily, my goal will be at least once a week. The content will be a mixture of daily living, writing and jewelry design, because that's what my life consists of right now. I hope it attracts some people along the way.
For now, hello and welcome to a new start, complete with a new name.
The Life & Times of a Would be Somebody.
Kristy C
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
