Inkwell

So hi everyone, how's the going? Chances are you are bleary eyed and half a sleep from Nano exhaustion. Hang in there, guys. You have a full December to recuperate.

SO I ALMOST WON NANO

I wish I could say that I won Nanowrimo but ... I didn't. I think I hit about 40k all in all. And no, I didn't finish my novel(s). I could have done it if I had just ploughed ahead in the first two weeks. I was on schedule up to mid month, when school really caught up with me.

At 15 chapters my book, You Were My Nemesis, is halfway through. Draft one is estimated to be 300 pages,30 chapters, and 75k. After edits, it will grow, I can assure you. I'm really proud of myself, because even though my writing is mediocre, my plot is actually working! O.o Eep!

I SPENT EVENINGS BINGE WATCHING TV SERIES INSTEAD OF WRITING

Yeah, I deserve to be yelled at. Now you know one reason other than school why I didn't win Nano :P

My family is obsessed with old 1960s to 1980s mystery TV shows. This month we binged Hawaii Five-O seasons 5, 6, and 3. I know, wrong order. We never cared.

Hawaii Five-O, the original series, is an absolute blast. We've seen seven seasons and haven't tired of it yet! (Yeah that has happened with others.) I love it because of awesome cops, fast paced action, a variety of plots, and Hawaiian scenery ^-^

We also saw some of Poirot. Agatha Christie is my all time favorite ,mystery writer, and the Poirot TV series is so much fun. I love the feel of 1920s England, the brilliantly though out crimes, and the eccentic-ness of Hercule Poirot, and the humor that Hastings, Lemon, and Japp. :)

We also saw the six episodes of BBC's Planet Earth II. IT WAS PLAIN AWE-STRIKING. No other way to express it.

Other recently watched movies --

Big Hero 6 // Zootopia // Megamind

I READ ONLY FOUR BOOKS :P

That's a failure by my ordinary standards. But #Nanowrimo gets the blame.

Siren's Song // Fangirl // Heartless // Purple Moon

Actually, I didn't finish Fangirl, but I read two thirds of it so it maybe-not-really counts? I can't decide which was the best.

Purple Moon was a birthday present: a lovely mix of lakeside setting, teen struggles, relationships, and redemption.

Heartless was a retelling of Wonderland, with an incredibly long and slow beginning. But it ended smashingly, in a way that made me think of Shakespeare.

Fangirl was about fanfic, and college, and a writer girl, her roomate, family, and this adorable human called Levi who just sums up my life attitude --

"It doesn't cost me anything. It's not like smiling at strangers exhausts my overall supply."

"Making people happy makes me feel good. If anything it gives me more energy for the people I care about."

Siren's Song was an epic conclusion to a fantastic series -- I didn't expect to be so hooked or to love that end so much. But Mary Weber writes the best epic battles, fyi. :D

AND I DECIDED TO SNEAK IN A TAG :P

I know this recap is totally not in format but I am bored with the regular way I did recaps so I'm throwing in anything that strikes my fancy. In this case, a few questions from the Sunshine Blogger tag which Lila tagged me for in September.

>> Think of all the book characters you loved so much ... but who ended up dying. If you could choose only one to save, who would you pick?

I'll answer in one word.

Jude.

If you've read the story I'm talking about, you'll know. Otherwise, sorry #spoilers.

I know lots of people ship P. and S. but ugh, I shipped her with Jude so hard >.<

>> Which point of view do you prefer to write in -- first person or third person?

I write in third-person most often.

I find first-person the easiest.

And I like second-person the best.

*shrug*

>> What is one funny story from your childhood?

There was one funny one actually XD so my parents were trying to teach me to sit properly ag meals times and kept telling me,"Sit properly. Sit properly." So then my dad went to lie on the sofa and I went and told him, "Sit popely." ^-^

>> What's the most boring book you've ever read?

Guess we'll have to go with Ice Like Fire. Problem one: it was so full of politics I DIDN'T CARE. Problem two: it had the most absurd love triangle. I knew how it would end ever since it happened and I was right. #wholethingfornothing

SO OTHERS POSTED SOME INTERESTING THINGS

>> Christmas Gifts Ideas for Bookworms [Nadine]

>> Regal Hearts season one is being released in paperback [Livy]

>> Signature Contest [Abi]

>> A Question of Courage is on blog tour [Jess]

That was my month in overview!! A few other highlights include starting school, starting work, and buying Christmas presents, making Christmas cards, and getting myself Renegades! Can't wait to see what December brings (prediction -- more insanity).

SO HOW WAS NOVEMBER?

WHO'S RECOVERING FROM NANO?

ANYONE GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS?

A funny thing happened to me this week. But to understand it you need the back story:

During the Silmarillion Awards in July, there was this girl I saw in the comments of the various posts.

She always nominate/seconded a Ted Dekker character. Especially Circle/Lost Books characters.

And I, plus the awesome Tracey Dyck, always did the same.

Tracey even said -- "wow you two are like my Ted Dekker buddies. We keep seconding each others nominations." It was so true. And this other girl really really caught my attention because TED DEKKER FANS ARE RARE.

Her name was Kate Marie.

And I tried to find her. I did. But I just could not seem to find her link. Until Jem so VERY NICELY includes it in her post recently. I immediately fly over to Story and Dark Chocolate to exclaim my delight at finally having found Kate after so long.

Kate replies to my comment after a bit and with something like, "LISAAAAA HI!!! How could I forget??? Ted Dekker fans are so rare I SHALL TREASURE YOU FOREVER. Thank you so much for hunting me down and for the follow!!! You are awesome.

By the way ... waaaaaayyy back when we were twinning at the Sil Awards, I tagged you for something but, ahem, forgot to tell you about it. Here it is if you'd like to do it!!!"

And let me just tell you ... I WAS FLOORED.

Like, wait whaaaat??? It took me ages to find you and you like knew of my existence all along and even tagged me and even linked to MY BLOG in that tag??? How did I not know this?

Also I felt pretty stupid for being so late in finding her, when she, all the way back in July, knew all about me.

Okay well it's not my fault she hid all her links so well.

BUT ANYWAY. AHEM. HERE IS THE TAG. These days it's called the Mysteriously Nameless Tag of Doom. Before it was called, the I Dare You Tag. Neither suits it very well, but who even cares???

// What book has been on your shelf the longest? //

Gladys Aylward: No Mountain Too High. I got this book when I was ... eight. I was the first "chapter book" with no pictures inside that I ever read. And I still have it sitting on my shelf to this day, quite intact, and with a place of honor. I was really proud of myself after finishing it -- and it also sparked my love of biographies, missionaries, and dangerously adventurous true life stories.

// What is your current read, your last read, and the book you’ll read next? //

Current: Fangirl and Siren's Song

Fangirl is contemporary and pretty cool -- even though it has a few content issues. Siren's Song is the last of Mary Weber's trilogy and I promised a review of the series once I finished this -- which is why I'm reading it.

Last: Heartless

MARISSA MEYER. It wasn't on par with the Lunar Chronicles books but still. THE ENDING. It felt like Alice in Wonderland smashed with Shakespeare ...

Next: The Priest's Graveyard and The Best American Travel Writing

Because TED DEKKER. And I will be studying travel writing once Nano is over. That's the December writing plan haha :)

// What book did everyone like, but you hated? //

I don't hate books. I just don't. But one of my least favorites is the Snow Like Ashes trilogy. Book one was okay, really! But the next two were just ... so. deathly. boring. And I don't think everyone liked them?? But I read them because others I know did!!

// What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t? //

Let's just be honest. EVERYTHING CURRENTLY ON THE TBR.

To be more exact, probably classics like Jules Verne and Dickens. Also probably the thousand over books of Alexandre Dumas -- who am I kidding here? Who can read that many???

// What book are you saving for retirement? //

All the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books of ever!!! Yes, I'm not joking. I still love both these series and I'll never grow out of them!! I first discovered the Hardy Boys when my dad borrowed the audiobook for us! And Nancy was soon to follow. I mean now that I read them the writing is so super simple and the plots are so predictable,but do I care?? NO!

// Last page: read it first, or wait ’til the end? //

Usually wait till the end. But if ...

a) it gets boring or

b) I don't think I want to read the full thing or

c) I get the awesome idea to be a rebel AND GO SEE THE END or

d) if the end is infamous for a twist or surprise ...

then I'll read the end first!!!

//Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside? //

IT'S LIKE THE BEST PART!!! I mean IF THERE'S NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I WILL CRY. Enough said.

// Which book character would you switch places with? //

I keep thinking Hadley because I RELATE SO HARD TO HER. See if Death gave me a chance to save someone I know from suicide I would accept without question. But I like would probably die before I'd work up the courage to stalk Archer ... *hides from the thought of it*

// Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life? (Place, time, person?) //

Basically every book I ever read.

// Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way. //

There's quite a few...

The Sorceress and the Squid -- I won this in a giveaway!!! Like the first time of ever, and also ... I'd totally forgotten I was entered lol.

Peter Nimble -- I got to pick this as an "prize" for entering a writing contest. Then I won gift cards in the contest and bought myself The Book Thief.

The Coronation -- this was an ebook -- BUT THE LOVELY AUTHOR JUST GAVE IT TO ME ^-^

Let Me Be a Woman -- my fabulous cousin bought this for me and it's super rare that that actually happens xD

Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person?

I've got birthday/Christmas presents for family. That's basically it. I recall getting Warriors, Dragon Rider, Magic Tree House and The Kestrel ... probably more but shhh Christmas isn't here yet ;)

Which book has been with you most places?

Hmmm .... I'm guessing either Gladys Aylward or my Bible. Pretty self-explanatory.

Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad later?

I never hate reading required or not. So no. I've always loved all required reading.

Used or brand new?

Usually used, but I do prefer brand new xD

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Forgive me for this ... but who is Dan Brown???

Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book?

In short, no. But I have a feeling that I would prefer the How to Train Your Dragon movies if I ever did read the books. Just because I'm used to it.

Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks included?

I'm not the kind of person who gets hungry while reading. But Heartless had some delicious sounding, well described desserts xD After all Catherine wants to have a bakery and I relate pretty well being a baker's daughter haha xD

Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

Quite a few people .... especially my Goodreads friends (not all of them of course, but quite a few).

I'd say I whole-heartedly trust Abigayle Claire (cause she's my reading accountability partner lol),and Savannah. I do take other people's book advice too -- but I really really believe these two.

Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g., outside your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving?

Divergent would really be it. My first real secular YA sci-fi and ... I just ... WAS FOREVER HOOKED ON YA AND SCI-FI. No question.

Okay that was that and I'm just going to tag ...

Olivia ... Maddy ... Nicole ... and Ella ...

so. what books are you leaving for retirement? also, which character would you switch places with???

And the school year begins.

I just started school last week. I'll admit, I'm a bit late. Ok. I'm a couple of months late. And a couple of months are precious time for accomplishing something. This means I get to challenge myself and attempt to finish courses in eight months rather than ten. Don't even ask me how I imagine that is possible ...

However I AM SO STOKED FOR SCHOOL. Someone once (recently) asked what I love about fall. I said MY BIRTHDAY. But anther reason would definitely be ... SCHOOL. Some of you might be staring at me as if I lost me head. BUT HEY. I LOVE SCHOOL!!!

In the same way as I feel like I'm coming alive in the spring after the hibernation of winter, I feel like I'm coming alive in the autumn after the relaxation and laziness of summer (don't get me wrong SUMMER IS AWESOME though). And I just get so pumped up -- ready to dive in headfirst into the insanity which is school.

I'm a good student (if I do say so myself). School is essential, and you know? Even if school wasn't a must-do for all teens -- I'D STILL DO IT FOR A HOBBY.

Above all I love the aspect of learning new things that you never expected to learn. Second, it's a ridiculously simple way to expand your horizons and discover new interests and become multitalented and find your own potential and test out all those things you may want to do when you grow up!

But getting to the point -- my almost-virtual twin Angela tagged me for the Back To School tag a long time ago, which I will finally try to answer to the best of my abilities. There's a bunch of rules to go with it, but as I will follow none of them nor tag anyone (because I'm lazy of course), I don't have to put them up here. Haha!

// What grade are you in, and how old are you?

I am in grade 10, and I am sixteen years old. That's should have been apparent already :)

// Are you home schooled, private schooled, or public schooled? Do you enjoy your type of schooling?

None of the above!! ... So I'm sort of home schooled, but in reality I take online courses, work completely independently, except for teachers who grade my work and are happy to answer questions. So yes, the textbooks plus the internet are my teachers. I do enjoy studying this way -- but then no more, no less than I enjoyed the other ways that I studied in the past

// What is your favorite subject?

It depends. I love them all so much, for a variety of reasons, but ... *sigh* English beats them all. English is my favorite subject.

// What is your least favorite subject?

I don't have one!! It's never consistent, but my least favorite is always the one that is stressing me out at the moment I am asked the question (currently: none).

// One thing you learned in school when you were younger that is still in your head?

I'm going to go with Literature here. For the record, I never enjoyed a subject more, nor loved the textbook more, than I did in grade 8 literature (I was with BJU Press.)

// Do you study hard or wing it, most often?

I study hard. Very hard. Too hard. Once upon a time my family put a "no studying" ban on me because of how hard I studied. No joke.

// Your way to study is…?

Taking notes. Lots of notes. Piles of notes. Notes that are scrappy and impossible to read which I recycle later. Notes that are beautifully written out and placed in folder that I keep for year to come. In grade 9 alone I must have taken between 600 to 700 pages of notes for four subjects. That's like writing two to three books right?

// What is one subject you want to work really hard on this year, to better yourself?

I want to work hard on Math and Science. I did well last year, but I know I could have done better, and I aim to do better than my best this year. Hopefully.

// What is one thing you look forward to this particular year of school? What does this year mean for you?

I look forward to doing my best. I look forward to learning. I look forward to expanding my horizons. This year ... is my third last year of high school. I'm scared because after this it'll be two more years ... then one more year ... and then I'm done! AND I DON'T WANNA BE DONE SO FAST. So I intend to make the most of this year now.

// What is one thing that school introduced you to, that made you look farther into, that you still really enjoy?

Shakespeare. Now technically, my school wouldn't be introducing me to Shakespeare until this year (!). But when I was in grade 6, I learned to write plays. My dad was like, "Hey have you heard of Shakespeare?" And I said, "Nope." But then I checked Shakespeare out -- and wow. I still obsessed. That year -- in grade 6 -- I read at least 13 plays on my own?? Shakespeare all the way for this question lol :D

// Are you excited for school? If so, why? If not, why?

I'm pretty sure I explained this already. I AM STOKED.

//BONUS, USELESS QUESTION: Can you recite the alphabet backwards aloud? (Honestly, who can?)

No. I cannot. In fact there's still a weird thing for me about reciting it forwards ... I can recite the alphabet forwards. (I sing it better.) But ask me, "what comes after P?" AND I'M STUCK. Okay? I've always had the problem, still do. I have to go back a ways, like ... all the way to L. And recite from there -- L, M, N, O, P, Q .... and then I can say, "It's Q!" Don't look at me like that, I'm still a writer!!!

* * *

Okay question time over! I have a bit of a confession ... I probably won't be able to keep blogging twice a week. With Nano and school catching up (plus work), my week will be so packed that I'm going to have to start posting only once. I may/may not sometimes do an extra one sometimes when I feel like it, but for now ... once a week it will be :)

Also, just throwing it in here that I have Bloglovin' now >>> *points to sidebar* and it's actually really cool so I recommend you check it out!!!

Till next week then *waves*

>> Lisa