Patience

Tags

god, labor, patience, time, waiting, work, Writing

Today is one of those November breaths that seems to recede into the chest of autumn and then wait. The air warms for a little while and then as that air is breathed, the cold returns. Days like this make me thoughtful and I can’t help but sit down in my chair and clear my head. I breath as the air outside does, slowly, and let my brain wander. I listen.

Sometimes I hear things, sometimes I don’t. But that’s not what is important. Just taking time out to listen and pray is what the soul needs. I need to be able to sort through my thoughts and order my life differently.

Right now, things are crazy, but in a truly meaningful and wonderful way. I am stressed, sometimes frustrated, but I am hopeful in ways that I cannot fully explain. I have a vision and I am working toward that vision.

The thing that I have been realizing more and more, is that I simply need to be patient. I just have to wait and work, and keep my goal in sight. It’s terrifying at first, but one day at a time, one stroke of the chisel at that dream, and suddenly, things aren’t quite as scary.

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The March Continues

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blog, book, gaming, life, schedules, school, update, wrath, Writing

The march is endless and I am caught in the current of its continuous tide. The waters fill my mouth and lungs, causing me to spit and spew what words I can in order to keep my head above  the waves. Others that move through the waters do the same thing, and I can’t help but feel that it is in some way all pointless. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, what we do matters, but it is hard to know that when you taste the salt and grime of a particularly harsh wave.

School, a word that makes people think of a multitude of things. Actual learning is not usually one of those things when thinking of the experience, though it is the reason that we go. At least, that’s what we like to tell ourselves. The point that I am trying to pass on right now is the excuse of why I haven’t been writing lately, and why I have apparently fallen off of the face of the earth.

If I were to simply state that it was school that was keeping me away from my writing, then that would be a bold faced lie. Work, television, and video games are huge culprits in this crime. I have finished my first year of college as of three weeks ago and I have been content to sit back and let my brain rot away for that small hiatus. Now, however, I’ve been itching to do productive things, and so writing has decided to take the seat in my mind once again.

Within the next couple of weeks, I’ll be settling back down into a schedule. These things of course take a bit of time, but when I do, you can expect to see Wrath and his miserable plight taking flight once more. Ideas dance with different masks, eager for me to discover who they really are. I look forward to the challenge in rigid anticipation, and Wrath will once more adorn the pages of this blog.

Farewell for now; much more frequent delights are coming soon.

Bilbo and Gandalf say hello!! 😀

A Bit of Snowy Bliss

Tags

bliss, blog, drink tea, front porch, march, snow, stress, study, winter, Writing

A picture from my front porch.

Winter seems to have forgotten when it was suppose to arrive. Christmas was a few months ago and we finally get some real snow. The Sun will arrive on the morrow and steal this scene away, but for now, I’m going to sit inside, drink tea, study and write and generally enjoy myself. Today holds no tensions for me.

Chilly Chilly Weather

Tags

books, career, changes, chapter 3, climate, college, literature, school, textbooks, update, work

That, of course, being an understatement. It is bloody cold and dry! However, here in the heart of winter, I have found solace in the confines of home and school. At home, I sit by a cheery fire burning in the fireplace or at my writing desk, wrapped in my sweatpants and sweatshirt, working with a mug of coffee by my side. It’s the kind of weather that has inspired poets and writers through the ages of whom all have written of their pleasure near a similar source of warmth in the harsh grip of a tantrum that nature calls winter. Melancholy is a great motivator for inspiration, a way of stimulating the mind and calling forth words that have proven useful for writers of all fields and degrees of age. This day is no different in everything but time; it is the same day that many writers have poured their heart’s blood on the page to express what lies within. That, however, is not what I am going to be speaking of today. This is going to be more of an arrangement of thoughts and new and old situations that have come upon me and demanded my life’s attention.

My studies are going well, though they demand most of my time, and so hopefully my absence here has not been noted too much. I still wish to share experiences and thoughts, as well as things that I write (a number of which I have not posted) as I grow further along in my future. So don’t fret in regard to that! More writing is to come, and this blog will become more than a simple diary.

My job at the bookstore remains ever a pleasure and I think that I have found a niche in the routine of the clockwork of the store. Being a book person, helping book people, talking of books with book lovers, is a constant joy and one that I wish to continue here in the future.

However, there are a few things that I am praying about to which I would greatly appreciate similar responses concerning my education and future career. Some things may be changing, though at the moment, they will remain unspoken of.

So, here in the warmth of my college hall, as I am typing this, waiting for another class to begin, another instruction to receive to further my knowledge, I am going to end this post. I will post the next part of Shattered here in the next few days. It will be the first part of chapter 3, though I have already started the fifth chapter. Perhaps it will be of some delight to you all! Have a wonderful day and don’t let Jack Frost take off with any bits of your ears or rosy nose.

Time For Writing

Tags

3, author, book, business, chapter, chapter3, fingers, literature, long time, pages, tea, words, wrath, Writing

Pages spread out for effect.

 

So I’m writing the next chapter in my book! That there is my outline and about seven or eight pages of writing. Took me about an hour and a half, so, not too bad! The story is moving along, and now that finals are almost over, I have been indulging myself in some writing that I have been meaning to do for a long time. My fingers and mind were beginning to itch!

Ahhh…tea is nice, words are good, writing on.

Wrath, my friend, we will save you.

Very Inspirational Blog Award

Tags

award, awards, mutual relationship, tea drinker, walking through the woods, yeah

Jennay over at http://adayinthelifeofjennay.wordpress.com nominated me for the Very Inspirational Blog Award!

Thank you so much Jennay for the award! It’s my first, and I am ablaze with a smile on my lips! It is flattering that someone would find my blog inspirational enough to think of me in that way! So, again, thank you!

Below are the rules for the Very Inspiring Blog Award so please follow carefully:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. State 7 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.
5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

SEVEN THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I love reading and writing, as many of you already know.

2. I someday wish to visit Ireland! It’s the place of my heritage, and I’ve heard that it is quite beautiful!

3. I like walking through the woods away from people and cities. There is something therapeutic about the action, and I am always amazed by the beauty that nature holds!

4. Longboarding is another hobby of mine!

5. I dislike cats. Alaskan Malamutes are my weakness.

6. I’m a heavy tea drinker.

7. I wish to be a father some day!

AND! Thank you to everyone else who reads my blog! You all are incredible! YOU are my audience, and I am yours. What a wonderful mutual relationship we have here!

Here are my 15 nominations!

1. http://gracemakley.com

2. http://tanhuimin.wordpress.com

3. http://stephenkellycreative.wordpress.com

4. http://nightshadehunter.wordpress.com

5. http://ashaseth.wordpress.com/

6. http://everedwater.wordpress.com

7. http://philkneen.com

8. http://jansimson.com

9. http://thoughtsofalunatic.com

10. http://petra365.wordpress.com

11. http://randomizer144.wordpress.com

12. http://shimmeringgrains.com

13. http://cristianmihai.net

14. http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com

15. http://inkandpapyrusblog.wordpress.com

I’ll get around to notifying you all! 🙂 Have a great night!

A Slight Change In Direction

Tags

and, career courses, college, community, literature, oddities, other, school, such, work, Writing

As the semester is approaching its final weeks, I have been rethinking the way that I am approaching my future. Money is getting tight, and while I am thoroughly enjoying my classes, there are some things that I want to do, as far as my future career goes, that I have not been able to engage in recently.

So, what I am thinking of doing is this: I will continue going to school part time, and then work my job at the bookstore full time (or at least as close to that as I can).  That way, I can be saving money back, finishing school, as well as having more time for my writing. As it is, I have had little time to partake in what I enjoy doing, and that has been bothering me to no end, often making my stomach churn when I think of it at night. I am accustomed to being able to have some time to write, and while I do write for this blog, there can be a span of weeks before I can actually sit down and write something for the sake of practice. I want to be able to write for myself daily, but that hasn’t been happening.

By splitting my attention between the bookstore and my schoolwork, I think that I will get the best of both worlds. My parents think that it’s a wonderful idea, and funnily enough, it was my Father who brought it up to me, as if reading my mind. I have always known that it won’t be school that will teach me to write, instead, I have to be the one who sits down and does the deed in order to get good at it. So, again, I think that it will be the smarter course. At least for my situation.

I will be starting chapter 3 soon, friends. Have a wonderful day!

I Love New Books!

Tags

#new, books, love, the hobbit, the lord of the rings, them

I don’t know how many of you know, but I do love me some Lord of the Rings. Over the course of the summer, during work, and with The Hobbit coming out soon, I found that my workplace carried these:

They are the Lord of the Rings: 50th Edition and The Hobbit: Special Addition. Altogether, the books cost me $109, even with my discount. (Don’t tell my parents.)

Now, when I purchased these things, I felt an oddly profound sense of guilt.

That was SMASHED under a feeling of pure excitement!

I got home and opened them up, being incredibly careful with the spines, flipped through their pages, and was at a loss for words by how beautiful the books were. The Lord of the Rings book has gilded pages with a red ribbon book mark. Inside both covers are some incredibly detailed maps that cover the whole of middle earth, all done in the style that J.R.R Tolkien had originally wanted. The Appendixes are beautifully written (of course) and explain everything you could ever want to know about Middle Earth. The cover itself? Well, you can see that the front has a very pretty decor of Sauron’s eye, surrounded by rings of power. It has a leathery feel to it, and on the back cover bears Tolkien’s signature in the same style as the eye and rings. The box that is behind the book is simply that: A box. Though it does have a very nice picture of a tower I forget the name of

The Hobbit, I think, has a much prettier cover. It has a nicer textured feel to it and feels a lot thicker. As you can see, it has some very incredible design on the front. The red and gold together look insanely beautiful together. The pages are also thicker than the Lord of the Rings, but that is because it is a smaller book. They are not gilded, but have this odd spattering of green dots on them. Dunno if I like that all that much. Inside is the traditional tale of The Hobbit, but there are also far more illustrations inside than in The Lord of the Rings. They are all the older illustrations, so it gives the book a feeling of age and worth. The box that is behind it is simpler than its sibling’s, though it does have a small picture on the front of some woods.

So, anyway, I thought that I would share them. Here are some more pictures.

 

 

November! What Happens?

Tags

#new, book, characters, going, NaNoWriMo, national novel writing month, on, story, things, update, Writing

Yeah, I know that I promised a “real” post, ooooh, a little more than a week ago. But you know college. It’s always demanding more of my time the more I spend precious hours there. I had a speech and a Rhetorical Analysis to write, so I have an excuse!

Anyway, I want to talk about next month, November. I am sure that most of you have been seeing some posts about a certain event, challenge, torture, or what-have-you that happens during that month. Namely: NaNoWriMo. A month where writers go to lose sleep, create stress, and generally become more antisocial than they are. Or rather, traveling to a world of their own imagining, living the adventures there through the phantoms of their characters. It is glorious! Or horrible if you don’t particularly like writing. Which I would not know why you would be doing this if you didn’t…some people like stress I guess…

50,000 words, about 178 pages, in one month is the requirement to “win” the challenge. You don’t win anything beyond a nice little sticker on your blog or sometimes, if you’re lucky, a coupon to some writing resources. Scrivener, an amazing word processor made specifically for writers was something that I was able to buy last year, because I made the 50k word count and was given a half off coupon for the program. It was way worth it.

Anyway, I’m rambling.

What I want to say, is that I am going to try and do NaNoWriMo this year to finish re-writing my book. However, I already know that I am not going to be able to make the 50k word count, so what I’m doing this time around is just using the month as a source of motivation. I will update people on what I’m doing, and post how many new words I have come up with. This will be the story that I won with last year, so nothing new other than a re-write. I think that I’ll even post a bit of what I wrote, just so that people can see how I am doing.

The challenge, however, is not going to be in the word count. It’s going to be in the amount of time that I have to work with. Working 20 hours a week and going to school full-time is not going to leave a whole lot of time for me to be able to work on my story. The only redeeming thing that I have going for me, is that I have been outlining my story for the past year, and have also been building a past for my characters. Something that I didn’t do last year.

For the rest of this month, however, I am going to start preparing for the upcoming word-flood. Anyone else out there doing NaNoWriMo? If so, follow me on the website under the name soolkiki. Yeah, it’s weird, but whatever! I’ll follow you all right back!

😦 I’m missing a good picture. Just use your imagination.

College And My Book

Tags

book, college, lack, life, me, of, people, photo, photography, picture, studying, time, update

The path often seems daunting.

Aside from the overwhelming amount of homework that seems to be building up around me, I think that I am enjoying my first year in College. Yes, it’s a headache meeting tons of people that you don’t know, or having to deal with slightly more than annoying teachers, but I think that I am, over-all, enjoying my experience.

Most of my classes are what I expected. Math, of course, is the worst one that I’m currently having to suffer through. Algebra and Trig. Ugh.. They are the absolute worse! It’s my last math class that I will ever have to take, ever, though. And that thought alone is what is keeping me motivated through it all. In the meantime, however, I will be eyeing that bowl of chalk that I could rather be eating than learning math.

Speech, oddly enough, is a class that I am enjoying immensely. So far at least. Most of that fact is that I have been able to escape any speech giving so far, but I think that we will be ignoring that fact for now. For pride’s sake ;). We shall have to see how much I still enjoy it after we are assigned a real speech. Maybe I’ll become the next prophet! You never know.

My favorite class so far, and by no stretch of the imagination, is my Literature class. We just finished the Iliad and are now beginning the first stages of reading the Odyssey. I love Greek and Roman literature, and this class is simply reading, discussing, and then writing about what we just read and talked about. My three favorite things to do with something that I enjoy! My Professor is absolutely hysterical and knows what he is talking about. His love for the subject also carries over into our conversations and makes the class that much more interesting. I’m very excited about the discussions that we are going to have on the Odyssey! I know that I’ll be laughing to his sarcastic enactments of the gods and men.

While all of this is going on, though, I will still be working on my book. It’s so slow in coming, but it’s coming and I carry a notebook with me just in case I need to write down some fantastic idea! I’m feeling much better about it this time around, it’s only on its second draft, so it’s still rough, but hey, it’s already better than the first draft! That’s saying a lot, I think.

One thing about it though, is that I’m thinking of blogging parts of it. Chapters here and there, just to see how people react to it. I know that I will be writing what I want, and not what everyone else wants, but if people like it, I will gain more of a following. That way, if I ever publish (Which is my dream) I will already have a small fanbase who will only then spread word. It’s an idea that I’m still playing with in my head, seeing how I would be able to do school, work, and keep up with a consistent update of my book as well as knowing what I want to put out there. I know some people liked the first chapter that I posted a little while back, so I definitely want to post more. It’s time that is the problem. What do you guys say?