And in that ever-declining free time, I…

Play video games.  Almost entirely.  I got a package from Play Asia, a site that ships American/English based video games to countries all around Asia, that contained my shiny new copies of Sonic: The Dark Brotherhood and My Japanese Coach.  Both are entertaining, and the latter has certainly re-jump started my Japanese studying.  If you’re thinking on studying Japanese, I’d recommend it, though not by itself.  I think it moves a little fast and its examples/stroke order/translations are sometimes wrong.

In any case, what does this mean for the rest of my life?

Well, I’ve fallen into a rut with writing.

After finishing Steady in a Firestorm, I find myself unable to figure out where to go from here. I really ought to write it’s sequel, especially as it’s hard enough to sell a necessary series (though this is only two books), but when one of them isn’t even finished…  Well, that is something I should do if I want to make FS viable.

I have plans for two other books in the works: Christmas Cookies and The Wife Hunt.  The problem with the former is that I can’t quite figure out a synopsis that I like.  The problem with the latter is I just don’t feel comfortable writing in the era.  I’ve also come up with a cool premise for a world, but I don’t have much in terms of plot or characters.  Though if I keep working with it, something might come.

I mean, this isn’t the biggest deal.  Writing, though wonderful and fulfilling, is not my ultimate dream/career path in life.  At least not at this point.  I would love, adore, to be published.  But it’s not necessary for my worth as a person to be so, nor towards my overall happiness.  (Though it might help that whole loan repayment business, and that would very much improve my happiness, as then I could travel through Japan and Asia more.)

Yet, at the same time, I do feel a bit disappointed with myself for lounging away my free time with the DS.  Sure, it’s a nice way to unwind, and an excellent (legitimate) distraction while at work–I don’t think any of my schools mind me studying Japanese.  But I sort-of miss writing, if you know what I mean.  It was cathartic.  And as much as I try to write at work, I just end up staring at a blank page, wondering how to begin.

Eh, maybe I’ll get back into it once I start editing on FS.  Scheduled to begin this weekend!  Eep!

 

Open a bottle of Champagne!

BECAUSE I FINISHED* MY BOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!! 

FS, otherwise known as Steady in a Firestorm, the epic first chapter (of two) in the series The Storms of Te’Rin, is complete!  After eight years of plotting and plodding and thinking; restarting and editing and dreaming.  I honestly had no idea that I could write “The End” on this mofo.  (The end, by the way, is a misnomer as technically, the second book, QS, will be The End.)  Oh, how I have agonized over this story. 

Currently, it clocks in at approximately 90,000 words (Microsoft Word count) which, in case you were wondering, is about 30,000 words too long for most Young Adult novels.  All I can say to that is: Thank God for JK Rowling. 

Because FS is my baby, I will not be sending it on the agent rounds until I can unclench my spidery fingers from it.  In fact, the plan of action is to keep planning (and hopefully someday selling) romances to land me an agent who will, obviously, Instantly Love FS and Sell It (along with my romances) at Auction for a very High Number at which point I will become the next Tamora Pierce. 

In the meantime, I will edit it, chop it to bits, edit it some more, sew it back up, and then begin entering it in contests.  Yes, contest is the magic word.  I will close no doors, bite no leashes, only get several accolades for FS so when it’s prised from my fingers like a child from the womb, it’ll turn straight into the next Elvis.

Oh… how I know it’s not going to turn out like that at all. 

In any case, to celebrate I bought more books, of course!

Graceling

Coraline

From London with Love

Young adult novels and Neil Gaiman and romance, oh my!  Trust me, I have plenty of literary fiction here in Iki.  Apparently the ALTs before me have been too cool for genre fiction and/or “Kid’s books.”  Well, I’m not.  I’ll take the mindless pleasure of romance, the knowledge of a happy ending, over the oft-times thought provoking and/or depressing literary novel.  And hey, I’m still growing up, so Young Adult novels tickle my fancy.  (In fact, I doubt I’ll ever finish “growing up,” so damned if I won’t be wandering into that part of the bookstore when I’m grey and cranky.) 

All of the books look like they’re going to be very enjoyable, and if I have the time (which I anticipate I will, knowing my life on Iki), I’ll stick up some of my thoughts regarding them here.   There are six (!) total, enough to keep me busy for at least two weeks.  Although I said that about Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell,  an excellent book in case you were wondering, and I breezed through that one in four days.  Couldn’t put it down.  In any case, I am so excited! 

…except now I have to wait for probably three or four weeks because Amazon Japan takes friggin’ FOREVER.

*In other words, I’ve typed the words “The End.”  Except there’s at least one chapter that I have to change from one main character’s POV to another, add some back story on him, and all that jazz.  And there’s eleven handwritten pages of Chapter 16 that I have yet to type up.  But still…

 

What I do when I’m bored — or How to have no life

I blame my obsession with this game entirely on AJ.

Though let it be known that I am way better at playing it than whomever made this video.  I started a new game recently (in my determination to get ALL 100 NOTES!) and I’m only on the first year of spring, Day 16, and I already have a barn.  No chickens… but a barn!  Wahoooo!  I will be competing and winning the fall horse race for the power berry, dag nabbit!

…wow.  That’s kind of a depressing paragraph. 

In other news, I’m plodding along on FS.  Renamed All I Need–is now Saguaros and Spaceships, which I think is a much better representation of the tone of the book and even a bit about the plot.  However, it does not help my life in terms of acronyms.  SaS versus SS?  I see problems in the future.  Ah well, SS is staying in its box and possibly never escaping.  In any case, hopefully I’ll finish FS soon.  I want to put it away and start thinking about my Christmas story (tentatively named Christmas Cookies, the first of a potential series entitled Silver Bells).

Randomly warmer this weekend, which was nice.

Trying to decide whether the phrase “Spanish is spoken in Spain” counts as Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous.  Similarly “This bicycle is made in China.”  Hum… I’m thinking Present Perfect Continuous is the best match, but according to wikipedia, both require the verb “to have” inserted in there somewhere.  I suppose it doesn’t really matter, but reviewing it with my students would be way easier if I could have someone explain why we use it to me, even though I can (usually) write it just fine without knowing the theory behind it.  Anyone out there know?

Update! — after much annoyance and searching, I finally realized (whoops!) that this is just passive voice.  As someone who writes romance novels, you’d think I’d recognize this faster except I’m used to recognizing it in its past tense form.  (The cake was made by Janice.  VERSUS Janice made the cake.)  Now, as excited as I am to realize this, the problem is figuring out how to explain when to use this to Japanese students.  After all, in Japanese everything is in passive voice (in case you didn’t know–update 2: I still maintain that simple word order makes everything passive, also note that the passive voice tense is used quite often in Japanese).  For example:

ジャニスはケーキを作りました。　Literally “Janice made the cake.”  I’m pretty sure, though, that it could also be translated as (more accurately translated, even!) “The cake was made by Janice.” 

Don’t quote me on this (yet) as there could be a pesky article change in order to signify the difference in active and passive voice.  ジャニスがケーキを作りました？ジャニスはケーキが作りました？Oy vey. 

Update (2)! According to Wikipedia (once again), there is actually a shift in verb tense when using active and passive voice in Japanese.  Thus the above example would become

ジャニスにケーキを作れた。　”Janice by cake made was” (for a very literal translation) or “The cake was made by Janice.”

This still might be wrong, though… so take it with a grain of salt.

In any case, the when to use this versus simple active voice is still puzzling to me…

Also–what the heck sort of game can you use for such questions?!  I dunno… maybe just unscramble the sentence?  Hum…  Update 2! Have decided not to make a game but rather give them a (somewhat) entertaining worksheet to complete.  Yup.  I’m awesome.

 

Going over old projects

A number of writing related things to comment on today. 

1. I finally named my Epic Young Adult Novel.  Since this thing has been in the works for eight or nine years, that’s pretty amazing.  I’m not sure if it’ll be the final title, but just having something is pretty exciting.  For future reference until I decide, it’ll be referred to as FS.
2. Started re-reading Sapphire Stars after entering a contest over at The Passionate Pen.  It’s actually good.  Like, I didn’t want to stop reading it to go to Taiko good.  And I wrote it myself!  I guess that’s what happens when you don’t look at something for six months.  I’m considering re-editing it (there are a number of useless adverbs, awkward telling, etc) and then actually giving it the agent rounds.  We’ll see how that goes.  Finishing FS remains at the top of the list.
3. Speaking of finishing FS I’m officially over the generally accepted YA word limit of 60,000.  Hah, limits… ah well, there’ll be tons of editing to look forward to.
4. Did I mention that I’ve (probably temporarily) fixed my laptop so I can actually type at home again?  That is the greatest of news yet, I think.

In any case, I’m put-putting along.  I need to write some new query letters, as I’ve decided the ones I have are no good.  At least now I have something to put in the credits (aside from the fact that I teach English): I’m a member of RWA.

Any old projects you’ve gone over lately?