The best part….

The built in Kindle!!!

I know I have always argued on here that I don’t completely get the ebook thing.   Obviously I just needed one.  Having it in my phone is the best thing ever. The convience factor is what really has me impressed.  I just recently started working at a dance club and at the end of the night, I have to wait around for a while to get paid.  No big deal but it is a bit boring.  Well problem solved.  The other day I busted out my phone and started in on reading Divine Beginnings which by the way is only in ebook format.  Yes, I’m totally the nerdy girl sitting in one of the hottest clubs in Portland reading but whatever.

I was always excited to see what books they offer for free.  There is a lot of classics that I have never read that are available for free.  For example, I downloaded The Scarlet Letter.  Again, this is a plus for me because I can make sure to always have something on my phone to read for those times when I’m sitting around after work.

So overall review is that I love having the Kindle on my phone but I still am reluctant to actually buy one.  I could however see myself getting one if the cost went down or something like that.

Sorry I still haven’t gotten the post about Rhiannon up.  Soon, I promise.

What are people talking about?

Everyone is comparing Harry Potter to Edward Cullen.  Note, Green and Levithan were mentioning Harry Potter and in no way where talking about Twilight.   I find this interesting because I realized how much it has seeped into our culture.

The conversation started with someone saying “I’m kind of in love with Harry. He’s my Edward Cullen.”  This prompted people to instantly start talking about how much more they loved Harry.  They wore comparing their love to him to how much a Twilight fan loves Edward.  It was like now their is a scale to love and at the top of it is how much you love this certain character.  Everyone seemed to know exactly how much this meant too.  Like there is a quantitative amount of love.  I just find it so completely interesting that as a culture, we have created a symbol of a quantity of love based on a character. 

How I just flipped back to read some more of the chat and the conversation went back to talking about Green and Levithan for a while but then shifted back to Twilight.  This time people are talking about how awful the book is.  Someone even said that it was a disgrace to literature.   One person is even making fun of it despite saying they have not read the books or seen the movie.  Why have such a strong opinion about something you have not even actually experienced? That seems a little bit crazy to me.  Like I have said on this blog before, this book was written for teenagers as a fantasy book.  Meyer’s was not trying to break ground or create a perfect piece of literature.  Yet, the series has become so huge that even people that have not read it care enough to say they strongly dislike it.  How amazing is it that a book has that kind of effect on people?  That to me is what makes Meyer a great writer.  She made something that truly has become a cultural phenomenon.

This also caught my attention yesterday when I was inside Experience Twilight which is a store in St Helens, Oregon that is, as you can guess, all Twilight stuff.  I used to live very close to St Helen’s which is where many scenes from the first movie were filmed.  Until yesterday, I hadn’t been downtown, where the Port Angeles parts were filmed.  It is insane how into Twilight St Helen’s is now. There is photos all over.  Store fronts have cut outs in them.  There is the whole store.  Have other books made that impact on towns?  I know lots of movies are filmed in Oregon yet I don’t see whole areas of  towns dedicated to them.   Again, completely fascinating.  I can see why people are researching and writing books and doing documentaries on how much this series has impacted society.

By the way, thank you so much to Experience Twilight for staying open a couple minutes extra for us to look around! The people working in their were super nice.

          I’m picking a working title currently then going to print everything to give to my parents to read over.  It still needs a lot of work but I’m so happy.

          Also, did Lights just mention me on her Twitter?  Yes she did! Sadly, I was not able to get tickets to the show tonight and have been very upset about that.  But next time she comes back, I will be there for sure.  Oh and get a Lights tattoo.  I really would love her to help design it but I can’t seem to get in contact with her so I might have to settle for coming up with something myself.  It will involve stars, ufos, and astronaut love. 

          Who is excited for Will Grayson, Will Grayson to come out?!?  I am!

          A very brief description is that the story is about Lux, a foster child, that ends up living with the parents, Baz and Kate, that gave her up.  Baz is still kind of a screw up and Kate is a successful radio personality that is dating her cohost Ryan.  The plot revolves around each of them growing up and trying to be a family.

          So let me first say, I am not the kind of girl that cries often.  Like movie wise I can count the times I’ve cried on one hand.  Less.  The only three I can think of is Marley and Me (I’m an animal person) and Adam.  Maybe I got a little misty eyed at Blind Side too.  Can’t remember. Books sometimes make me cry.  Television shows and for the most part real life, never make me cry.

          In just this week’s episode of Life Unexpected, I cried multiple times.  Full on tears rolling down my cheeks, sniffling kind of crying.  Ah when Lux was talking about her childhood I was bawling.  When Baz told Bug, Lux’s boyfriend, that he would like to practice being a dad with him I cried more.  I teared up a little again when Lux came home.  Then I was crying because I was so happy when Ryan was talking about socks at the end. 

          Seriously, this show pulls at the heartstrings.  I hope so badly that it doesn’t get canceled after the first season because people don’t know how good it is.  If you haven’t watched it, go check out an episode.  You will fall in love with every person on the show.

          Personally, I also love that it takes place in Portland.  Always good to see places I know on shows and movies.  Plus I dated a guy that looks so much like Kerr Smith, it is ridiculous.

           Okay, with all that said, I just heard about Daniel Craig saying that he wanted James Bond to have a same sex scene.  http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/craig-wants-gay-bond-scene_1014906

         The fundamental problem I have with this is that James Bond is a very specific character.  Ian Fleming introduced him in his 1953 novel Casino Royale as a sauve ladies man.  The films have lead even more into this image by putting an ephasis on the Bond Girls.  This is a character that has existed for over sixty years.  Why would you change that?  I bet Fleming was rolling over in his grave when Craig said that.

          I’m not against movies or televisions shows changing characters if there really is a reason to.  The only example I can think of off the top of my head is hearing that the writers of Glee changed the character of Curt after meeting the actor and falling in love with him.  His character fits perfectly and it doesn’t fell like the show is just doing that to push the envelope.  That is when it bothers me.  Why do we have to force something? 

           Changing James Bond character isn’t going to do anything for supporting human rights.  It is just going to feel like they are trying too hard.  I mean, add in all the male on male and female on female stuff you want but leave Bond alone please.  I mean the two basic parts of him are that he is a spy and he is a ladies man.  Why not give him a new job while you are at it?

          I  guess this kind of comes down to how much a movie or book can deviate it’s characters from the books before it becomes a big deal.   My feelings are pretty mixed on the issue.  I bet I’m not making much sense as I type because I’m going back and forth.  I think if you are going to change the character, have it make sense.  If any of the people on Gossip Girl have same sex relationships that they didn’t have the in book series, fine.  It could fit in with the story.  If some of the vampires on True Blood go same sex, well they better anyways because that is definately in the books.  If Harry Potter has a scene making out with a boy, I don’t feel like that would make any sense. I don’t know, what does everyone else think about this?  Where is the line for changing a book character?

Alright, now that I’ve said that, I was so excited this week to actually see Chelsea live.  Guy Branum opened and he was just as funny as on tv.  I would have liked to hear more Twilight jokes but that is okay. His hipsters ones cracked me up.

Of course the highlight of the night was Chelsea’s set.  Do you call them sets in comedy? I don’t know.  Anyways, from start to finish I was cracking up.  My favorite parts were when she talked about her dog Chuck.   I was a little scared she was going to do a bunch of stories from the book so I would already know them all but she only did a couple.  Her saying that the reason she broke up with her boyfriend was that he said he was going to give Chuck Alpo dog food was so funny.  Yes, she talked about the Alpo in this book too but her phrasing it so it sounded like she was a mother deciding to take her child out of an abusive relationship was hilarious. 

So yeah, I had a great time.  I suggest anyone else that gets a chance, go see her.  Hopefully one day I will go to the actual show.  Do I hear a Cali trip coming?  I miss Long Beach. Oops, getting off subject.  If you haven’t read Chelsea Handler’s books, I highly suggest checking them out.

Oh wait, I can make this relevent with books; Diabo Cody not only wrote this movie (and Juno) but she also has a book out called Candy Girl. It is about her stripper days. I have it but haven’t read it yet. One of these days soon.

Since I’ve been reading like crazy I’m going to start doing some blogs about books too. If you check out my reading list, you can see exactly what I’ve been reading. I’ll probably go back and write about at least a couple on the ones I’ve read last month. Especially on the book Pledged, I have been meaning to write some things. That was a book that really left me with a lot of thoughts at the end. Maybe I’ll even write on it tonight.

Besides reading like crazy, I have been trying to get into editting my book. I finished the first draft, did a written edit, and am now put corrects in while also doing a second edit. I kind of went through a period of really doubting that I could get anywhere with it but taking a few weeks away, then going back, completely changed my outlook. At this point I’m extremely happy with the way things are sounding. There are some parts that I’m completely in love with which is a great feeling. 2010 is definately going to be the year I become a published author. I have complete faith.

So yeah, reading and writing. Those are my excuses for not blogging but I feel like they are completely legit. Keep checking back for tons of new stuff up soon!

Oh PS, has anyone else seen the new Boondock Saints movies? I LOVED it.

          The only author I have gotten the oppertunity to ask about this said that once she was ready it all fell into place really easy.  She editted herself as far and I know.  After that point she said finding an agent was quite easy.

          So I guess the answer is when you are ready? How do you know that though?  Honestly at this second with my book, I feel like within a month I could be completely happy and ready to present it to publishing companies.  I know there is always the option of trying to get the deal on my own but I know that I’m not all that good when it comes to business.  All it would take was one place being nice at all and I would say yes to whatever.  This is why I let other people handle photography business stuff for me.  If it were up to me I would do everything free because the second someone comments on me being expensive I feel horrible. 

          I don’t completely get why everywhere says to take classes.  I already have a degree so shouldn’t that count?  I get they are saying to perfect your craft and all that kind of stuff but I think I’m pretty good.  Writing was something that always came easy to be.  Editing even more so.  I would LOVE to get a job as an editor.  I know I probably have lots of mistakes online here so you are probably thinking I’m crazy but it is true.  I’m the girl that would mark the hell out of any paper in front of me.  My peers loved me looking over that stuff for that fact. Sure, I would point out what was good but I would circle every little thing that was wrong or off to and give advice.  I think on my own I’m going to do pretty okay editting my story.  Plus I have family that will read it too.

          Is there any authors or writers out there that have any advice on when to look into book agents?

          The reason I have been missing is actually VERY exciting.  Since quiting my job I have been writing a lot more than before.  In the past couple of weeks I started concentrating on one particular idea I had.  I think I wrote a good ten chapters over the past four or five months. 

          I have now completely finished the book!

          Well kind of.  It is a first draft for sure.  There will be lots of editting to do still.  Right now it is about 100 pages long. I’m aiming for about 250.   I feel like I have the big part done though.  The skeleton is there so now it is just filling in all the details.  

          My game plan on editting is to go through my printed copy at this point adding and marking as much as I can.  Once I get that down I will go through it again on the computer for another revistion as I’m fixing the paper ones.  From there, as long as I feel fairly happy with it, I’ll give it to some people to edit.  Probably my mom and grandma to be honest.  Maybe my dad too.  I haven’t yet figured out exactly what demographic it is for.  I intended to write a chick lit novel but looking at it now it is far more action and way less romance than I though.  Still probably chick lit since there is some fashion stuff and the view point is from a female. 

          From there, not to sure.  This is all completely new to me.  If you have any advice, let me know!