Look who survived her first semester of college! Winter break has officially begun, which means I can work more on writing and editing. There will be three things I'm planning on doing, writing-wise, this break:
1) Look over and edit my book, The Christmas Spirit, then continue sending out query letters to agents. Maybe I'll have better luck with getting one during the Christmas season?
2) Write short stories involving Christmas. What? I'm a little obsessed. . . . I've already written one that was inspired by how warm the fire in the fireplace is.
3) Check out The Nutcracker and the Mouse King from the library. It is on my Christmas list, but I want to go ahead and start reading it. It's part of my research for my Nutcracker book.
In addition to finishing my first semester, I finished David Levithan's book, Wide Awake. In the "About the Author" blurb on the very last page, I was amazed that he specialized in both English and Political Science in college. If my first-year seminar was any indication, I don't have the stomach for Political Science.
The preparation for next semester's classes involves brain-storming on a plot for a screenplay. I'll either do a screenplay for The Christmas Spirit or a couple of the other ideas rolling around in my head.
What about you authors and/or students out there? What will you be doing this December and January?
P.S.: I recommend Wide Awake to anyone who enjoys queer YA lit or political YA lit. I feel it's more of a romance, but Levithan is amazing at creating these worlds that are different from ours yet feel like they could be our world. This book makes you feel like having a gay Jewish president won't be a thing for fiction for long. Though I do wonder how those "non-shopping malls" work if you have to pay twice as much for items, with half of the money going to charity. How do you keep the stores from going bankrupted AND the consumers financial situations afloat?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie Review
Nothing is more fun than watching a Harry Potter movie with your friends. You dress up, you get into character, you get comfortable in your seat with your snacks and Coca-Cola, and you watch. That’s exactly what I did this Saturday for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
Before I get into the movie review, here’s a little paragraph of what I like to do when I’m at the movies: my favorite snack to buy at the concession stand is the gourmet pretzels. My favorite soft drink of all time is Coca-Cola, and I can’t afford to splurge on anything bigger than a small. I only like 3-D if it’s an animated movie. My favorite seat in the theater is the one smack-dab in the middle, so I snag that one whenever possible. Guess who got to get her most favorite seat in the house AND her favorite snacks AND her 2-D-ness? Me! This is where you imagine little hearts and flowers floating around my head as I grin brightly at you.
Now let the review commence! Ahead are SPOILERS!
As far as the quality of the past Harry Potter movies are concerned, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is phenomenal! It’s by far the best one out of the series. All seven books being out is certainly an asset in this regard. Granted, parts of it won’t make any sense if you haven’t read the book beforehand, but the same can be said of the third, fifth, and sixth movies.
The cinematography is amazing. The times when it was at its best was when Harry was having his visions. They have never looked so good. It’s incredible how much creativity and artistry is in those scenes. The one thing I don’t particularly like is the new versions of the Patronus charm. Kingsley’s is supposed to be a giant cat, but it’s more of a ball that depicts events as Kingsley’s voice is narrating. The mysterious doe Patronus doesn’t take its doe form initially, despite it having been cast some time ago for Harry not to have seen who conjured it. It looked more like smoke than a corporal form, and that’s not what a proper Patronus is like. Aside from that, I have nothing to complain about, special-effects-wise. I will say that environmentalists probably hate Hagrid’s motorbike. You could practically see the ozone layer falling to pieces!
As far as characterization goes, it does good with some characters and not so good with others. Those of you who were looking forward to the dramatization of Kreacher’s tale or Lupin’s issues, I’m really sorry. Lupin and Tonks don’t even get to properly announce their marriage or Tonks’s pregnancy, let alone Lupin’s fears for the child. The scene where Kreacher tells them about the locket isn’t anything like it was in the book. However, Hermione gets incredible character development that makes up for Watson’s bad acting in the fifth movie and Hermione’s cattiness in the sixth movie. Ron’s character development is so true to what it was in the book, it’s incredible; the way it’s presented makes it even more powerful. I fell in love with Dobby all over again. I cried at parts I hadn't cried at when I read them. It's a wonderful movie.
If I had to fault the movie for anything, it would be for making us laugh at parts that most certainly weren’t funny in the book. Part of it is additional lines they gave Ron, and part of it is just how awkwardly entertaining the execution is. However, it does make the suspenseful and sad parts of the movie even more so.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a definite must-see for any Harry Potter fan, even if they aren’t a fan of the movies. Be sure to go in costume! It’s more fun that way.
BONUS SECTION: There were three trailers to movies that made me want to see them when they come out.
The first one was Red Riding Hood. It looks like an interesting take on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, with Riding Hood being a teenager instead of a little girl and her village being on edge about a werewolf being on the loose. From the trailer, I can guess that it’s probably her boyfriend who her family has forbidden her to be with. It’s from the director of Twilight, though, so I’m not entirely sure whether it’s going to be awesome or going to be a flop. I am going to borrow The Nativity, also by the same director, from my school library after Thanksgiving, so maybe I’ll be able to judge it better after seeing that one. (The Nostalgia Critic gave pretty big props to The Nativity.) I'll probably see it regardless because it has Gary Oldman, and I adore Gary Oldman.
The second one was Green Hornet. When the trailer first started playing, I kept trying to remember where I had heard the name Kaito before. I knew my dad had talked about a movie with a character named Kaito in it, but I couldn’t remember what movie it was from until the trailer told me the title. Then it clicked. Aside from that, it looks like a good action flick. I know my dad will probably want to see it, and I’ll certainly be happy to see it with him.
The third was Green Lantern. I’m simply a fan of superhero movies, and I really like the DC universe. (It’s so hard to become a comic book geek when you have no idea where to start, but I watched Batman: the Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Superman: the Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans and Static Shock when I was a kid, so I know I like the superheroes from that universe the most.) The only thing I don’t particularly like from the trailer is what the Green Lantern’s costume looks like. It looks more like he’s standing there in his black underwear with the rest of the costume simply painted on, and the few Green Lantern comic books I’ve read have never had it looked like that. Sure, every superhero has highly-defined muscles that are clearly seen through the fabric, but we couldn’t see their abs flexing as they breathed.
Before I get into the movie review, here’s a little paragraph of what I like to do when I’m at the movies: my favorite snack to buy at the concession stand is the gourmet pretzels. My favorite soft drink of all time is Coca-Cola, and I can’t afford to splurge on anything bigger than a small. I only like 3-D if it’s an animated movie. My favorite seat in the theater is the one smack-dab in the middle, so I snag that one whenever possible. Guess who got to get her most favorite seat in the house AND her favorite snacks AND her 2-D-ness? Me! This is where you imagine little hearts and flowers floating around my head as I grin brightly at you.
Now let the review commence! Ahead are SPOILERS!
As far as the quality of the past Harry Potter movies are concerned, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is phenomenal! It’s by far the best one out of the series. All seven books being out is certainly an asset in this regard. Granted, parts of it won’t make any sense if you haven’t read the book beforehand, but the same can be said of the third, fifth, and sixth movies.
The cinematography is amazing. The times when it was at its best was when Harry was having his visions. They have never looked so good. It’s incredible how much creativity and artistry is in those scenes. The one thing I don’t particularly like is the new versions of the Patronus charm. Kingsley’s is supposed to be a giant cat, but it’s more of a ball that depicts events as Kingsley’s voice is narrating. The mysterious doe Patronus doesn’t take its doe form initially, despite it having been cast some time ago for Harry not to have seen who conjured it. It looked more like smoke than a corporal form, and that’s not what a proper Patronus is like. Aside from that, I have nothing to complain about, special-effects-wise. I will say that environmentalists probably hate Hagrid’s motorbike. You could practically see the ozone layer falling to pieces!
As far as characterization goes, it does good with some characters and not so good with others. Those of you who were looking forward to the dramatization of Kreacher’s tale or Lupin’s issues, I’m really sorry. Lupin and Tonks don’t even get to properly announce their marriage or Tonks’s pregnancy, let alone Lupin’s fears for the child. The scene where Kreacher tells them about the locket isn’t anything like it was in the book. However, Hermione gets incredible character development that makes up for Watson’s bad acting in the fifth movie and Hermione’s cattiness in the sixth movie. Ron’s character development is so true to what it was in the book, it’s incredible; the way it’s presented makes it even more powerful. I fell in love with Dobby all over again. I cried at parts I hadn't cried at when I read them. It's a wonderful movie.
If I had to fault the movie for anything, it would be for making us laugh at parts that most certainly weren’t funny in the book. Part of it is additional lines they gave Ron, and part of it is just how awkwardly entertaining the execution is. However, it does make the suspenseful and sad parts of the movie even more so.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a definite must-see for any Harry Potter fan, even if they aren’t a fan of the movies. Be sure to go in costume! It’s more fun that way.
BONUS SECTION: There were three trailers to movies that made me want to see them when they come out.
The first one was Red Riding Hood. It looks like an interesting take on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, with Riding Hood being a teenager instead of a little girl and her village being on edge about a werewolf being on the loose. From the trailer, I can guess that it’s probably her boyfriend who her family has forbidden her to be with. It’s from the director of Twilight, though, so I’m not entirely sure whether it’s going to be awesome or going to be a flop. I am going to borrow The Nativity, also by the same director, from my school library after Thanksgiving, so maybe I’ll be able to judge it better after seeing that one. (The Nostalgia Critic gave pretty big props to The Nativity.) I'll probably see it regardless because it has Gary Oldman, and I adore Gary Oldman.
The second one was Green Hornet. When the trailer first started playing, I kept trying to remember where I had heard the name Kaito before. I knew my dad had talked about a movie with a character named Kaito in it, but I couldn’t remember what movie it was from until the trailer told me the title. Then it clicked. Aside from that, it looks like a good action flick. I know my dad will probably want to see it, and I’ll certainly be happy to see it with him.
The third was Green Lantern. I’m simply a fan of superhero movies, and I really like the DC universe. (It’s so hard to become a comic book geek when you have no idea where to start, but I watched Batman: the Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Superman: the Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans and Static Shock when I was a kid, so I know I like the superheroes from that universe the most.) The only thing I don’t particularly like from the trailer is what the Green Lantern’s costume looks like. It looks more like he’s standing there in his black underwear with the rest of the costume simply painted on, and the few Green Lantern comic books I’ve read have never had it looked like that. Sure, every superhero has highly-defined muscles that are clearly seen through the fabric, but we couldn’t see their abs flexing as they breathed.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
NANOWRIMO 2010: Failure
I've failed NANOWRIMO: not because it's over, but because I can't fight off the urge to edit my book. It's either edit the book or stop writing, and I don't want to do the latter. Either way, I've failed NANOWRIMO. However, I'll be okay with that if this becomes a book that I'll be proud enough of to try and get published, just like the Christmas story I'm trying to get published now.
Though if I try to get this failed NANOWRIMO project published someday, I can't keep calling my Christmas story my Christmas story because they both take place around Christmastime. So from now on, I'll refer to the first one by its current working title and I'll refer to the other one as the Nutcracker story. The working title for the first one is The Christmas Spirit.
The interesting thing about all of the stories that I've tried to write is that I started with a theme that I wanted and a plot flowered from that theme. I know that this isn't the case with many other authors, and it's not the case with all of my ideas, but the books that I actually like all have a theme in mind. The theme I start with isn't necessarily the only theme I have when the book is ready to be sent out to literary agents, but it's the starting point.
Anyway, just because I've given up on NANOWRIMO doesn't mean the rest of you have to, and I have plenty of NANOWRIMO music to keep you guys going.
One last thing: my college lets me take a theater class to fill a science requirement. How awesome is that?
If you like Tally's music, go to Youtube and search live2tivo. Search ALL CAPS for the techno-music one. The guy is bandgeek8408.
Though if I try to get this failed NANOWRIMO project published someday, I can't keep calling my Christmas story my Christmas story because they both take place around Christmastime. So from now on, I'll refer to the first one by its current working title and I'll refer to the other one as the Nutcracker story. The working title for the first one is The Christmas Spirit.
The interesting thing about all of the stories that I've tried to write is that I started with a theme that I wanted and a plot flowered from that theme. I know that this isn't the case with many other authors, and it's not the case with all of my ideas, but the books that I actually like all have a theme in mind. The theme I start with isn't necessarily the only theme I have when the book is ready to be sent out to literary agents, but it's the starting point.
Anyway, just because I've given up on NANOWRIMO doesn't mean the rest of you have to, and I have plenty of NANOWRIMO music to keep you guys going.
One last thing: my college lets me take a theater class to fill a science requirement. How awesome is that?
If you like Tally's music, go to Youtube and search live2tivo. Search ALL CAPS for the techno-music one. The guy is bandgeek8408.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Harry Potter Theme Park Slideshow
I wasn't able to say as much as I wanted to, but this one my narration is a lot more natural because I hadn't typed out what I was going to say before I said it so I think it flows better even though I sometimes sound like I have no idea what I'm talking about.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Disney Slideshow
Harry Potter Theme Park photos coming soon!
Also, if you have a Youtube Account and read my blog, please subscribe to me!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Confession Time!
All I have to really say about this video Jackson Pearce made is this: YAY!
While I don't have a wig, I dress up as characters from books or anime that I like. The technical term for this pastime is "cosplay," and it's tons of fun. So far, I have five cosplays: random Gryffindor student, Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter, Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, and Canada from Axis Powers Hetalia. Because I don't have a wig, Edward and Canada end up being red-heads instead of the blonds they're supposed to be, but I'm still recognizable.
I'm a complete amateur compared to so many other cosplayers. As far as the Alphonse cosplay is concerned, I'm downright sloppy. But it's still fun, and I hope to get better. Some cosplayers create pretty cool music videos and skits that they put on Youtube. We go to conventions, like Dragon*Con, Comic Con, Otakon, AWA, etc. Sometimes we just go to the mall in costume and act silly while filming. And like everyone else, we dress up in it on Halloween just for the heck of it.
Cosplaying is one of the greatest ways to show that you completely adore something, be it a book, a comic, a movie, a television show, or an animation. It's expensive, but when I can spare the money I do what I can to make my tribute to what I love. If someone ever loved a book that I wrote so much that they dressed up as a character from it, I could die a very, very happy author.
(P.S.: I'm not any closer to getting published just yet. I've decided to make some more edits over fall and winter break, and after that I'll send it out to more literary agents. College has been interesting. Congratulations to my friend Tally on the Junior Production play! Your script was lovely!)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Behold: Jackson Pearce!
Here's a video that my friend Jackson Pearce made about book banning. She wrote As You Wish and Sisters Red. She's coming out with her book Sweetly in 2011, I think. Jackson's really awesome and has given talks at the Decatur Book Festival and local libraries here in the state of Georgia, where we both live. If you like young adult fantasies, you must check her out.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Little Stymied
Salutations, dear readers! How are you this fine day? What's that? How is my journey to the Land of Published Works going? Funny you should ask. . . .
I started my first year of college in August, right after I got back from the Harry Potter theme park. (I will be sharing pictures from that. I just haven't gotten around to it.) While I've been enjoying myself, I do have a lot of homework, and that's become my main priority right now. So my quest hasn't moved much from the last time we talked.
Hm? What about the agent who was interested last time? He decided he didn't have the resources to properly represent my book, so he turned it down. While that makes me sad, I understand, and I appreciate him trying!
Speaking of trying, college work is difficult to balance. This semester I have English 110, Dramatic Writing I, Strength Training, and my first-year seminar, Latin America and the U.S. Border. In English 110, we're finishing our discussion of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and starting Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. We get to write a one-act play in Dramatic Writing I; it's probably my favorite class this semester! Strength Training doesn't have homework, but my muscles sure remember it throughout the week! In Latin America and the U.S. Border, we're reading Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits. We'll be finishing up with that one soon. Latin America and the U.S. Border is one of ten different classes my class year could pick from as a class that adjusts us to college work; our professor is teaching us to read critically, and the class itself has a political science feel to it.
In addition to classes, I also have a part-time job on campus in the Writing Center. The Writing Center is where students go to meet with tutors to help them with their writing. First-years aren't allowed to be tutors, but I make copies, print things out, clean the coffee maker, and sanitize all the surfaces. When that's all done, I'm allowed to study.
That reminds me. I still have homework to do! I'll try to get the pictures of the Harry Potter Theme Park up soon, possibly next week. See you then!
I started my first year of college in August, right after I got back from the Harry Potter theme park. (I will be sharing pictures from that. I just haven't gotten around to it.) While I've been enjoying myself, I do have a lot of homework, and that's become my main priority right now. So my quest hasn't moved much from the last time we talked.
Hm? What about the agent who was interested last time? He decided he didn't have the resources to properly represent my book, so he turned it down. While that makes me sad, I understand, and I appreciate him trying!
Speaking of trying, college work is difficult to balance. This semester I have English 110, Dramatic Writing I, Strength Training, and my first-year seminar, Latin America and the U.S. Border. In English 110, we're finishing our discussion of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and starting Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. We get to write a one-act play in Dramatic Writing I; it's probably my favorite class this semester! Strength Training doesn't have homework, but my muscles sure remember it throughout the week! In Latin America and the U.S. Border, we're reading Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits. We'll be finishing up with that one soon. Latin America and the U.S. Border is one of ten different classes my class year could pick from as a class that adjusts us to college work; our professor is teaching us to read critically, and the class itself has a political science feel to it.
In addition to classes, I also have a part-time job on campus in the Writing Center. The Writing Center is where students go to meet with tutors to help them with their writing. First-years aren't allowed to be tutors, but I make copies, print things out, clean the coffee maker, and sanitize all the surfaces. When that's all done, I'm allowed to study.
That reminds me. I still have homework to do! I'll try to get the pictures of the Harry Potter Theme Park up soon, possibly next week. See you then!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
My Youtube Channel
My dear companions, I'm delighted to share with you my new Youtube account, complete with two videos filmed inside the Three Broomsticks at the Harry Potter Theme Park in Orlando, Florida!
If you'd like to visit the Youtube channel itself, go here: http://www.youtube.com/user/RoseBrazeale
I plan on sharing footage of all sorts of things with you all, mostly of things related to my published works, but probably of all sorts of book-related things. I also have plenty of photos to share with you of the Harry Potter Theme Park, so stay tuned!
If you'd like to visit the Youtube channel itself, go here: http://www.youtube.com/user/RoseBrazeale
I plan on sharing footage of all sorts of things with you all, mostly of things related to my published works, but probably of all sorts of book-related things. I also have plenty of photos to share with you of the Harry Potter Theme Park, so stay tuned!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Checkpoint Number 2
Greetings! It's probably time to set up camp and rest before we take the next steps in our journey to the Land of Published Authors. Why don't you dig out your rations while I start the fire, and we can tell each other stories before we lay our heads down for sleep?
Hm? What's that? What have I done since our last talk? Well, after receiving a few more rejections and sending out even more query letters, I got an e-mail from a literary agent requesting to see more of my book! I have more hope now, though I keep in mind that I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. However, I see no reason why I should suspect the worst! An adventurer never gets anywhere if he or she fears every mysterious turn in the woods!
Aside from that, I don't have much to tell you. But there is something I'd like to share with you!
I'm not a poet, but I tried my hand at writing a Shakespearean sonnet back in 2009, on April 29th. I wrote it a day or two after watching an episode of Animal Planet's Animal Witness, a program that told crime stories involving animals in some way. The episode I had watched involved the illegal slaughtering of tigers and leopards and the selling of their parts.
Hm? What's that? What have I done since our last talk? Well, after receiving a few more rejections and sending out even more query letters, I got an e-mail from a literary agent requesting to see more of my book! I have more hope now, though I keep in mind that I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. However, I see no reason why I should suspect the worst! An adventurer never gets anywhere if he or she fears every mysterious turn in the woods!
Aside from that, I don't have much to tell you. But there is something I'd like to share with you!
I'm not a poet, but I tried my hand at writing a Shakespearean sonnet back in 2009, on April 29th. I wrote it a day or two after watching an episode of Animal Planet's Animal Witness, a program that told crime stories involving animals in some way. The episode I had watched involved the illegal slaughtering of tigers and leopards and the selling of their parts.
Endangered Species
Sleeky black on orange coat
Clothing powerful muscles and strong bones
Pacing back and forth like it's rote.
With its footsteps, the truck moans.
The tiger knows not its destination.
The tiger knows not the strange black tube.
Bang! and begins the desperation.
Bang! and begins the practice of evil, of lewd.
The skull and coat are sold,
The meat is pawned to oversea.
The eyes in the stuffed body are cold,
Unable to cry, unable to see.
The Bengal tiger is gone,
And the human heart exist none.
Sleeky black on orange coat
Clothing powerful muscles and strong bones
Pacing back and forth like it's rote.
With its footsteps, the truck moans.
The tiger knows not its destination.
The tiger knows not the strange black tube.
Bang! and begins the desperation.
Bang! and begins the practice of evil, of lewd.
The skull and coat are sold,
The meat is pawned to oversea.
The eyes in the stuffed body are cold,
Unable to cry, unable to see.
The Bengal tiger is gone,
And the human heart exist none.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Rose Brazeale: An Introduction
Hello there! Have you come to join me on my quest to the Land of Published Authors? I've been wandering down the path for quite some time, and the map to my destination, unfortunately, has been covered in many tea stains. For each turn I make, I retrace my steps and make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Sometimes I have to drop my cargo to the wayside, even if I don't want to part with it, and no matter how careful I am, sometimes I still make wrong turns. But no matter!
I'm much closer to Published Land than I was a few months ago. It's incredible how sending out that first query letter filled me with such a sense of accomplishment. I've only just started sending out query letters this month, and despite receiving only rejections, I feel like I'm finally a real writer.
I began writing original fiction when I was twelve. The first book I worked on was about a werewolf in an alternate universe. It's currently a convoluted mess that makes me cry whenever I think about the mere idea of editing it. The book that's getting me rejection letters is a supernatural Christmas story for middle grade readers about a twelve-year-old boy who is struggling with his belief in Santa Claus and his desire to be a grown-up.
Look out for a Youtube channel featuring yours truly (once I figure out how to use the camera).
I'm much closer to Published Land than I was a few months ago. It's incredible how sending out that first query letter filled me with such a sense of accomplishment. I've only just started sending out query letters this month, and despite receiving only rejections, I feel like I'm finally a real writer.
I began writing original fiction when I was twelve. The first book I worked on was about a werewolf in an alternate universe. It's currently a convoluted mess that makes me cry whenever I think about the mere idea of editing it. The book that's getting me rejection letters is a supernatural Christmas story for middle grade readers about a twelve-year-old boy who is struggling with his belief in Santa Claus and his desire to be a grown-up.
Look out for a Youtube channel featuring yours truly (once I figure out how to use the camera).
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