Numa Numa

I assume everyone has heard of the Numa Numa song by Ozone? If you haven't, go to youtube and type in 'numu numa'. It's the music video one. If you have, you know what it's an energetic, interesting song in Russian (or Ukraine I think.)

I mention this song because it's my family's favorite song. My mom in particular. Every time she hears it, she immediately starts to dance, which starts the whole family dancing and leaves everyone out of breath and in a good mood. It's a great spirit-lifter, and I love it when my mom is in a good mood. 'Cause when she's not, then no one else can be in a good mood.

It is incredibly hard to come up with a unique magic system

Every so often I'll read, either on my favorite authors websites or in writing books, about creating a unique magic system. I never really thought about it that much, because I was more in to writing modern fantasy or science fiction, or really light high fantasy, with very little mention of magic. It's only been recently, after reading Branden Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy (have yet to read the third), Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth, and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time that I really started to get interested in writing epic fantasy with a larger focus on magic.

This brought with it the problem that every kind of magic I could think of either wouldn't work under close scrutiny, or had already been used in one form or another. So, a few months ago I created a new word doc and just began making a list of different kinds of magic I could develop. I've worked on it on and off, and did some developing on one based on light.

Two Sundays ago at church, I got the idea of a kind of magic based on song. It took me a while to come up with how it actually worked, and after that everything took off. I loved it, and really wanted to work on it.

That's when I needed a story to go along with it. I tried to come up with one, but I kept finding that it was too similar to Mistborn. So I gave up and set the magic aside.

Now, for the past couple of weeks, the only things I could get written were stories based on my dreams. My normal creativity has been somewhat lacking, so I've been relying on my subconsciousness. It's worked, I've written anywhere from 2k to almost 5k steadily every day, and I can definitely tell that my writing is getting better.

However, Saturday I woke up and couldn't remember any of my dreams. I remembered having them, and remembered that they were cool, but I just couldn't call them to mind. So, when I sat at the computer, determined to write something, I started typing, not really sure what I was creating.

As I continued writing, it became clear (as clear as the sub-zero air in the story) that this was the story for the magic system.

It fit perfectly. Every reason and law I had come up for the magic meshed so perfectly with the frozen landscape I had written, I was amazed that I hadn't thought of it before. So, while it took longer than I have ever prepared for anything, I found the story that fit, and even the characters to go along with it, and am so excited to continue writing it.

Alright

So I finally got a job. Hallelujah!

It's a nanny job in my neighborhood, and is only part time, but it's a job! Whee!

A New Year

This is a little late. I've been procrastinating it for the last couple of days, but I finally have the house all to myself during the day again, and I've decided that I really need to make some changes. Good thing it's the New Year, because I can label these changes as being New Year's Resolutions.

I've never been good at this. I don't think I've ever fulfilled a Resolution, and the only goal I can remember ever completing was when I saved enough money for an American Girl doll when I was eight or nine. This year, I'm going to actually make an effort, though. Events, and even some threats of eviction from my parents, have forced me to realize that I really need to get my lazy behind working, or else I might not be following the family to Iowa, and I don't know what I would do without them. Sometimes I hate their guts, but I've never lived truly on my own before, and it terrifies me a little.

So, here's what I plan on heading for this year, and this is mostly for my benefit (and my dad's):

1.) I will have a job by the end of January. Completed!
2.) I will finish the fifth draft of Huntress
a.) I will work on plotting and outline at least two hours a week
b.) I will write at least one chapter a week
3.) I will follow a detailed daily schedule
a.) I will write said schedule to include writing and relaxing, but have most of the day planned out to get a job and help around the house
b.) I will get up by eight o clock and be in bed with lights out by eleven o clock
4.) I will exercise at least twice a week
a.) I will walk one mile twice a week during the day
b.) I will do yoga twice a week or more
5.) I will write something two hours a day, spaced out in half an hour to an hour intervals over the whole day

For now, that's all I can think of things I want to work on. It will definitely get longer the more I think about it, but until then, this is it.

I feel like I'm going to explode

My aunt and uncle from Texas decided, in the generosity of their hearts, to take everyone out to dinner. And since they lived in Brazil for many years, they love Brazilian food. So we went to Rodizio Grill. I had never been before, so I was exactly sure what to expect. I didn't expect the best meat I have ever tasted, and I certainly didn't expect the way that it was brought to the table.

There were servers who brought skewers of meat, asking everyone if they wanted some, sometimes three or four servers at a time. When someone said they wanted some, they would saw the meat off the skewer and drop it on the plate. We were there for about an hour, and I have never eaten that much in all my life. It was amazingly good, and yet at the same time, I ended up with a little bit of a stomach ache. I'm sure it will take days for my stomach to recover.

I had a great time thought.

Family, family, everwhere

I love having extended family over. I have my favorite aunt living next door, which has been great for the last two years, and right now, for Christmas, we have maternal grandparents over, and just now one my uncle and aunt from Texas has come to visit, for my mother's birthday this week.

It's great. There's love everywhere, everyone is talking, and there have already been a round of hugs, with another forthcoming when the cousins get here.

I sure wish that this could happen more often!

An interesting observation

I have just realized that my most interesting stories/ideas, have all come from two places: Either they have been stewing in the back of my mind for at least three years, giving them time to ferment and become as great as they need to be, or they come to me in a dream.

I love my dreams. They tend to be a little (okay, a lot) on the weird side, and they almost always have a cute/gorgeous guy in them. Sometimes it's someone I know, either personally (though that only happens rarely) or from a movie or TV show, and sometimes it's someone I have never seen in my life. Not even in my writing.

Most of my dreams lately have been about relationships. I'm sure that tells you a little about what I have on my brain right now. Sometimes the relationships are really cute, sometimes they are heartbreaking, and sometimes they are stressful. It's always been interesting to wake up, remember the dream, and try to understand why I dreamed about that particular thing/relationship/man.

My dreams are usually the reason I like to sleep in late, aside from my bed being warm and my room being cold. It always bothers my parents, since I'm stuck living with them right now.

There have been four dreams in particular that I have loved enough to start writing a story based on them. It always takes work to make it all make sense on paper. But once it's down, then I feel so much better.

Technically I have six dreams I had that I wanted to write, but two of them never got written.