Study Write

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

28 July 2009, Tuesday

First of all... I know I'm rather dense, but I just discovered how to change fonts, colors, font size and all that on blogger and I'm so dang excited....

I finally got some writing done after about half a year of writing-hiatus. I haven't intentionally been not writing, I just tend to put it after my studies. And my study takes almost all of my time.

As per usual, I was sitting in front of my computer, all of my uni stuff spread in a total mess next to the lap top, and then what happens? My printer runs out of ink. My sturdy little reliable calender, always unreadably full with my to do list, amazingly said that for study, I only had to print off my stack of notes and I was done for the day. No printer = No printing notes = FREE TIME!!

Understandably it's the start of a new semester so there isn't as much study to be done as usually there would be, and my little list did have other random stuff that I had to do (tax,renew drivers license... and the like), but those can all be left for another day. I really thought I deserved the rest of the night off for once until I could get ink tomorrow... or today - depending on how you like to look at it since it's the middle of the night.

And so of course I happily opened up my writing doc and wrote a satisfiable two pages. I know, it's not much, but its something. I haven't done something for so long!

Going back to my writing now...

What Happens In London by Julia Quinn

Monday, July 27, 2009

27 July 2009, Monday

So what happens?
Lady Olivia Bevelstoke has a new neighbor, and who else might it be but a gentleman. Not any gentleman, but one who has killed his first wife!

Lady Olivia does not believe this. Nope. She does not. So why is hiding behind her curtains, spying on her new neighbor? Every day?

Until, of course, he catches her.

He's very handsome.

Sir Harry Valentine knows that the chit next door is spying on him. Why else would he conscientiously ignore her? Having been in the army previously, he has all the military training to recognize when someone is spying on him, especially an amateur like the lady next door.

That is until the day they meet, at the Smythe-Smith musicale.

Accompanying his first cousin, Sebastian Grey, to the Smythe-Smith annual musicale, Sir Harry makes himself known to Lady Olivia - without first being properly introduced. And Lady Olivia accidentally invites Sir Harry over to visit without meaning it.

Until of course, he means it.

The war office has given Harry a mission; to keep an eye on Prince Alexei Ivanovich Gomarovsky... and his Lady of interest, Lady Olivia. What better way to keep an eye out for Prince Alexei and his intended Olivia than taking her up upon her offer to visit her home.

And meeting her at balls. In private alcoves. Through windows. And every where else.

Suddenly Harry finds himself noticing Lady Olivia, that he wanted her.

Quinn once again out does herself. Her writing style, as always, is fantastic, witty, and, humorous: Olivia's silent musings "How I would Like to Kill My Brother, Version Sixteen" - Hilarious!

The reappearance of the Smythe-Smith girls is pure gold. Is there by any chance their story will be made in this series? (Hopefully with Sebastian Grey - how wonderful would that be?). Okay, I'll stop dreaming now.

Interwoven throughout the main story are other characters most likely to get a book of their own. They are mentioned with just enough emphasis but not overwhelming the rest of the story: Sebastian Grey, Edward Valentine... and (in my little world) Alexei Ivanovich Gomarovsky (very unlikely though I would love to hear more about him!)

However, I felt bereft at the end. WHAT happens to the Valentine brothers? Do they resolve there family drift? I felt like I was left hanging with no real answer. I'm quite disappointed that no conclusion happened. Nothing was quite resolved. It seemed I had read the whole book expecting... expecting for something to happen. But of course it did not.

Not to worry though, Harry and Olivia do get their "happy ever after" when Harry created a "moment". Harry's proposal was not amazing, but I do love the way every one met at the window for the proposal - Very appropriate.

Examinations

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

21 July 2009, Tuesday

Hello everybody!

I'm finally back.

Usually after exams I'm often reticent. I spend all my time holed up... scared, nervous, fearful... waiting for my results. It makes me so sick that I become terribly nauseous. It's almost like waiting for a reply from an agent once you've submitted your work. You've done your best but your not sure of the results. It gnaws you and eats you up until your barely yourself, barely there.


It's an awful period of my life. And it occurs periodically.

I finally got my results and now I'm back on the ball. There's really nothing you can do about your results. Whether pass or fail, it's an unchangeable fact. If an agent rejects your story, there's nothing you can do but try again. Writing is hard. Submitting is hard. Just because you get rejected once does not mean that theres no hope left. You need to keep on trying and trying until you get there.














I've treated myself to so many books once I got my results back. I went a bit crazy and bought twenty or so books. I really miss reading, it's a leisure I don't have anymore. I also have plans to get some writing done after I get all my assignments done... and finally, we are going to gold class to watch Harry Potter tonight! YAY!!












Truth is, I haven't been concentrating on my writing for quite a while. Specifically since I went back to uni. I don't think i will be writing much anymore. Not until I finish my studies.