2 Chapters Completely Complete

I just sent my second chapter to my teacher. I hope she gives me good feedback for it. I would like to improve my work as best I can. It's a much slower, less eventful chapter than the first one is, but you have to slow between the pep.

Ugh, today, I'm waiting to hear from my college's finacial aid office to see if my scholarship would continue past the normal four years since I want to double major and biology takes up more credits than other majors do. -sigh- I really hope they tell me "yes." I would love to double major in biology and English.

PS- I keep getting hives, WHY?!

1,001 Arabian Nights

Hmmm.... anyone know where I can find a good translation of 1,001 Arabian Nights? After reading the blurbs about it on wikipedia, I saw that some of the aspects of the stories touch upon steampunk concepts, such as mechanical horses and automatons. I want an accurate, unchanged version of the stories. I hate when they have been changed for political correctness or just due to poor translations. I seriously love the richness and the originality of Eastern literature... I wish I could take a class on this in school.

WANTED: For Character Abuse

My poor characters. As authors, we all torture our characters, especially when writers block hits. What better way do we have to move a plot along than to kill or gravely injure one of our precious literary children? Is this illegal? Is this abuse? No and Yes. I am guilty of taking my anger and frustration out on certain characters in the most cruel way. Typically psychological torture is my favorite, but only done on a select few characters (sorry Nicky and Satchel). To me, this is an apology to all the characters I have abused over this years. I'd like to say I'm reformed, but I know I will do again (probably in about twenty minutes or so).

What Would You Do?

How would you feel if you came to treat a patient who was your friend and found him covered in third degree burns?

That is the question I'm faced with during the scene I am currently working on. It's very hard to know what someone would do if you have never been put in that situation. The two men in this scene were friends in college, became adults and remained friends, and the one who is a doctor has treated everytime he has had a major illness. Illness is often very different than physican injury in the way it impacts others. What would you do or say to your friend when you saw him lying in a bed, burnt and in pain?

I Missed A Day!

Oh my god! I can't believe I missed a day! I was really tired last night because I had run around all day. I got all my books for school (except one, which is coming by mail) and went to one of my favorite restaurants Cafe Eclectic in Montclair! I love that place, coffee and food is awesome!

My teacher replied to my email with my first chapter. SHE LOVED IT!!! I'm ecstatic. Seriously, I'm so happy. I wrote about things I had no idea about, and they actually came out sounding knowledgeable. So many hours reading articles about zeppelins and crashes, seriously I was pulling my hair out writing about it. I'll write more of this story for sure. I got some typo feedback (I have a love-hate relationship with spellcheck. Autocorrect needs to die a horrible death). I love having someone objective read my work and give me feedback.

Happy Birthday!

Today was my dad's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!!! He doesn't read my blog, but I think the shout out is good enough. Today was a crazy day. Went to work, got home, went out to dinner for my dad's b-day, and got home late. I haven't gotten the chance to write much today, but I'm basically precopying a scene I wrote last week but editting it as I type it. Should be good hopefully...

Victorian medicine... One part science, one part quackery. It is rather interesting. They're on the cusp of modern medicine and yet they turn to such weird measures to get it. After watching the show Oddities, I really want a Victorian medical kit one day. That and a skull, not a real one, I'd prefer a replica. Sometimes I get spooked by these things since I believe in ghosts and spirits. Oh yes! Another interesting topic is spiritualism in the Victorian Era. All those seances and ouji boards, sounds like a thirteen year old's sleep over to me.

Forgotten Dreams

Well, that dream sequence I was talking about yesterday... I cut it out. It really didn't flow well, and I didn't like how I was forcing it out. It's gone. It has been condensed down to a paragraph. The dreams were too abstract in relation to what they represented, I don't know if anyone else would have any idea what they meant. I sent the first chapter to my English professor. Now, I'm waiting on pins and needles to see what she has to say about it. I want feedback badly, positive and negative.

Today, for a certain other character within this story, I looked up automatons. Very creepy sometimes. They look like Howedy Doody (I find him creepy as hell). One that I thought was particularly interesting was the doll that drew four different pictures on a glass tablet. I want one, seriously. I would burn it out though since I'd probably show everyone and watch it about a thousand times myself. Anyone else love this?

PS- Is it pathetic to look forward to eating a CLT sandwich? (cheese=c)

Snow Day!

I had a reprieve from cutting my fingers on file folders today since I had an unplanned day off from work due to snow. My fingers thank you, snow gods.

Since I had a day off, I planned on writing a bit. Never did. Well, I did a little, like as in a paragraph, and I messed around with a huge capital letter I wanted at the beginning of the chapter (in the end I deleted it). This dream sequence is so hard for me, and I don't know why. I'm trying to make the dream an altered version of what is really happening to him in real life, like when your alarm goes off and in your dream you make it music or a phone ringing. I'm comparing bugs chewing flesh to debrising a wound and mummifying to bandaging someone. The second should be easier, but I still question whether or not I should put these scenes into the story.

Cuts and Quotes

Office work is obviously not my cup of tea. I have been sorting through papers and constanly cutting my fingers on manilla folders. If you have never done that before, it's like a papercut on steroids. I had one that bled so bad, I needed two bandaids.

Here's a tiny taste of chapter one of my current project. Enjoy these few lines.
"He followed the voice in the distance, stepping over broken furniture, fractured wood, and bodies. Staring at him as he ventured through the fiery abyss was the bartender. His eyes vacantly stared ahead, his body splayed, and his neck contorted at an impossible angle. The flames licked at his neck and bit at his hair, charring the skin around his temples." -Kara Jorgense

A Juggling Act

Today was my first day of temp. work. My hands have been cut by manila folders, but I had a good day, and I felt really productive. I did a lot in one day, and I'm getting paid for all my hard work. I have also learned that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Being away from microsoft word has made me want to write really badly when I get home. I wrote the rest of the chapter I was working on in record time. The down side, I'm really tired. I'm turning in early, but I'm proud of my work both at work and on my own story. Somehow I feel that I will really appreciate my day off on Friday.

The Age of Airships

I am currently working on a scene involving a zeppelin crash. Oy, I'm so tired of looking up the Hindenburg and trying to decipher not only plane and zeppelin lingo but nautical words as well! I am neither a pilot nor a captain. The up side of this research is I get to watch videos of zeppelins exploding and crashing over and over. This scene is so challenging and requires research. I want to get it right, but luckily, I realized by protagonist would be disortiented, so certain details could be left out. I love the challenge and the life-changing event that occurs during it, but I'll be happy when I'm done with it.

PS- Finally doing some real work starting tomorrow!

Productivity

Ahhhh, the sound of keys tapping productively. Today, I actually got some work done, which makes me so happy. I had been stuck on something stupid, but today, the flood gates of depression closed and the rainbow of productivity shown on microsoft word (oh my god, that was an odd sentence). I really like how this has been going. Sometimes I feel like certain areas of my stories are trudged through, but since I have started college, I feel that my quality control is much better. A bit more confidence in myself hasn't hurt either.

**Only 1 follower? I'm so depressed, and that follower is my boyfriend. How pathetic**

Yokai and Obake and Yurei, Oh My!

Today, I decided to do a little research into Japanese myths and folklore. In college, I learned a bit about Shinto, and as I discovered from wikipedia, there is a spirit for everything. Spirits inhabit any and all pieces of furniture, which is interesting since everything came from something natural at some point. What I find really funny are some of the really odd creatures and their descriptions. Some examples are:

Akaname- a spirit that licks an untidy bathroom
Jinmenju- a tree with fruit with human faces
Kamaitachi- a slashing sickle-weasel
Kosode-no-te- a short sleeved kimono with its own hands
Obariyon-a spook that rides piggy back on a human and becomes unbareably heavy
Tofu-kozo- the spirit of a child carrying tofu

Others are rather frightening sounding, such as a women with two mouths and a horsehead hanging from a tree. (~shiver~ ew). The Japanese have some very interesting and rather terrifying creatures within their mythology. I love how they have spirits for odd sensations and things to explain earthquakes and tsunamis (a giant catfish). Overall, very complex thus far. I hope I can use this knowledge for something.

Short Post

Lately, I've been really into Eastern culture. If anyone knows of any good books about it, fiction or nonfiction, send me a message or comment. I'd love to incorporate it into one of my books, and I'm trying to a bit right now with this current book. Let's see if I actuallt finish it.

On the subject of books, I tried ordering some of my textbooks from Barnes and Noble to save some money (the college book store is a bit of a rip off at times). I have one book already shipping and another was "unavailable". I bought it and like two days later the seller cancelled, so I had to reorder it for like thirty dollars more. I hate buying from independent sellers.

Frustration

Well, I'm still freaking out over having to read my paper at the conference in April, but the good thing is it's in April, so I have months to stew over it. This break (after Christmas) has been so boring. I'm actually looking forward to school and my creative writing class.

Ugh, I've been trying to write more, as always. I wrote a bit last night at like 10 or 11, which was great, but today, I've been stuck. Plus, I don't feel that great at the moment, so I don't know which caused which first. It's so frustrating to have ideas, but have no desire or umph to put it on paper or you write something, think it's terrible, and erase it. Please let my creative constipation pass!

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Conference

Great news! I just got accepted into a women in sci-fi and fantasy literature conference. I sent in an abstract in December about the female characters of the Harry Potter series. My English teacher, Dr. Lindroth, helped me get it in ship shape. I have to thank her for helping me out and smoothing out my rough ideas. The down side is.... I didn't realize I had to present it. I feel like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. Why else would I write a paper for it? When I read the acceptance letter, my throat closed a little. I'm more of a behind the scenes person, and I sometimes get the "I'm-going-to-throw-up" look when I have to give a speech. I've never really been accepted to anything except college, so it's a nice change. Why am I a biology major again?

Literature and the Arts

I swear since I have been working on this story, my coffee consumption has doubled. (I've also been trying to cut back on the soda).

Completely onto a different topic. My boyfriend drew my protagonist from some descriptions I gave him. It looks awesome! Just the way I pictured him, it was amazing! One part young Indiana Jones, one part Nathan Fillion, a little Dr. Who, and Brad Pitt's nose (not my doing, but it worked perfectly!). I love seeing my characters come to life on paper. It would be absolutely perfect if it could appear in the back or as one of the chapter dividers. My boyfriend has drawn my characters before, but this is the best by far. He's a talented artist, and this year he seems to have come into his own. Within a semester, the quality and precision of his art has advanced tremendously. I don't know if he knows it, but I'd love to have him illustrate any of my stories, and I hope he eventually does.

Resources and Writer's Block

-sigh- Not much writing being done today despite my best efforts to stay on task. Instead, I am doing some research for an upcoming scene. I've been looking up malaria, yellow fever, and other nasty diseases prevelent during the Victorian Era.

Some pretty good resources for creative writers, at least in my eyes, are:
www.20000-names.com/ for naming characters or places
http://www.wikipedia.org/ as always, a great resource for getting a basic knowledge of any topic under the sun
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6226670/List-Over-300-Ways-to-Say because we all get hung up on the word said.
http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm No one wants to make a "Bella Swan"
http://www.deviantart.com/ A wealth of artwork that can inspire you (aka prompts)

Welcome

Hi everyone,
I know this blog is very empty (and has no followers), but it will eventually. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kara Jorgensen. I'm a full time college student majoring in Biology and minoring in English. My passion is writing above all else, and I want to share my experiences with you. I derive much of my inspiration from Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. My writing mainly consists of novellas or unfinished novels (many unfinished due to the demands of school). The genre of literature I tend to write in is often fantasy, steampunk, or a combination of those with mystery and a bit of horror occassionally. All writers torture their characters to get even with them for writer's block. Eventually, I post some cool stuff I find online or about how my current work is going. Maybe I'll even get something published in the near (or distant) future.
Sincerely,
Kara J.