Moving

I was accepted to the Art Institute of California, Orange County on Monday. Yesterday, my dad and I drove down to OC, and checked into our hotel.

Today was a long one. We checked out the school, and I fell in love. It's this perfect mix of practical and creative. Great fit for me. I will be working on a BS in Advertising. Many of my credits transferred over, so that will be good.

The next step was the housing search from hell. From NorCal, I made a list of ads that I found online that could work. Well, looking at them, they were...bad. The area wasn't safe, was run down, just not good. At 2 pm, I just didn't know what was going to happen. Here I have this perfect school, and nowhere to live to make it work.

I suggested that we just drive around, try to find something. We found one place we liked. It was way over budget, but we decided to sign because it was the only thing we found. I wasn't totally sold though, and felt the Irvine Company could offer better.

We pulled into one of their properties, and it was even more out of range, but the guy was great. He referred us to his friend who runs another Irvine Company property closer to my school. We dashed up there. It was cheaper than the place we were about to sign on before, and the amenities are much nicer.

Pluses:
-nicer area
-gated
-washer/dryer in unit
-newer building
-no screaming children
-closer to school
-closer to my friends who still attend my old university
-close to places where I can apply for jobs
-closer to my barn

There are no drawbacks. It's...perfect!

Now, I'm off to catch up on my writing a bit.

I want Breaking Dawn Now

One week, and one hour until it's in my hand and I'm sitting here on this couch with the final book of the Twilight Saga.

I have my outfit for the release party, I've paid for my book, I even have a mask for the masquerade ball at my local bookstore. What I don't have is the book.

It's like Harry Potter all over again, except that this time, I found out about all of this after the hype. I discovered Harry when I was in elementary school, before the craze hit. I watched it get insane, watched it gather this giant following. I talked my mom into ordering the third book from amazon.co.uk because it was published in England first. I watched midnight releases come into being.

What I loved about the Potter craze was the speculation. I loved going online and being a part of the theory swapping and everything else that sprung from the uncertainty of it all. In a way Deathly Hallows ended something amazing.

The books stand on their own, however, and they will always be a part of my childhood. I owe JK Rowling a lot. She inspired me, made me know that writing was something I wanted to do with my life. Her books were the first fantasy books I really liked (and I still don't care for high fantasy) and they opened entire worlds for me both in terms of writing and reading.

I wish I'd had more time to speculate with Twilight. I only discovered the series this summer when I saw a movie poster that intrigued me. On my next trip to the bookstore, I read the prologue and part of the first chapter. I was hooked, and I NEEDED more. I bought the first book in hardcover, because I knew it was going to be great. A day and a half later, I was back, buying New Moon and Eclipse (Special Edition).

The series captivated me, and quickly became some of my favorite books ever. I had to ask myself why. The answer is simple: the characters. I love Edward, and care about Bella. I want Jacob to be happy, even though I want Edward to get the girl. The entire Cullen family quickly became like old friends.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, hooked me with the magical world Rowling invented for her stories. Her characters are amazing too, of course, but that first hook was all about the setting and the creativity involved in it all.

I want to develop both aspects of my own creativity, though I doubt I will ever have the command of the craft that Myer or Rowling have. But, all I can do is try.

The Plot Thickens

Just hit 22,000 words on Dead Ringer. About a third of the way there, I think.

I'm liking where it's going so far, but I also feel like I need more clues through out that are physical (so far, most of it has to do with the relationships of the people involved, rather than any kind of objects, etc that might be clues) especially early on in the investigation.

I also feel the need to make it all more vivid...to show rather than tell. I want to make it more memorable, and also more real for the reader.

The editing process is going to be fun. Right now, though, I need to continue to concentrate on getting the first draft complete so that I can polish and fill in holes.

Current Project and Career Mussings

Today was pretty busy, and I haven't had much of a chance to work on my current novel project. Only 250 words so far, and my daily goal is currently to write at least 1000. Not NaNoWriMo speed, but sustainable.

Said current project is Dead Ringer. It is a murder mystery about grand prix showjumping in Southern California. Current word count is 20,333 and I will hopefully pass 21k tonight. Maybe more, though, because I'm writing a scene with big revelations and it's going quickly.

My own taste in fiction is eclectic, ranging from mystery to fantasy to adventure. I have ideas for stories in many genres, too. I often worry about being pigeonholed, and also about not being classifiable. If I become published as a mystery writer, will I ever be able to sell a fantasy?

I know it's something that I should think about after I actually, you know, get published. And that requires getting this book done, start another, wash rinse, repeat ad nauseum.

On that note, I'm out of here to work on Dead Ringer.

First Posts and All That Jazz

I hate first posts. They never really say much of anything, and no one reads them. I'm here, I'm writing a blog...big woop.

So...here's the first post, just to get it out of the way and get on with life...